


The Sweet and The Unholy

by Daovihi



Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Concussions, Curses, Dragon Quest XI Act II Spoilers, F/M, Kidnapping, Lima Syndrome, Love Triangles, M/M, Other, Past Rape/Non-con, Sorry guys, also the archive warnings might change, being kept prisoner, buuuut this might become my darkest fic yet, eventual luminerik, genderfluid!sylv, hendrik embarasses someone in front of a live studio audience, i stg elevens gonna show his face at some point, ill try not to make that too big of a thing, jasper is secretly a desperate ex, malachite is a dick, ok so this isnt actually gonna be my darkest fic yet, past trauma, tagged m ahead of time, tagging that just to be safe, that honor goes to one of my rdr fics, the sheer agonizing pain of stepping on a lego, villains with standards, will update tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2020-10-19 04:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 42,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20651375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daovihi/pseuds/Daovihi
Summary: An unfortunate turn of events leads to Hendrik becoming Jasper's prisoner. And what's even worse, he has to deal with someone that somehow hates Hendrik even more than Jasper does.





	1. Prologue

The world fades into color as Hendrik blinks away the darkness at the edge of his vision. Then, he registers the shaking and bucking sending him into the air every so often. Then, his position, bent over with his hands behind his back. Hendrik blinks again, smelling a horse, recently washed, judging by the scent of soap intermingling with it. Hendrik tries to bring his wrists out in front of him, only to find they're stuck together. Oh. They're tied up.

"Huh. He's awake." Someone to Hendrik's right says in an off-handed manner.

Hendrik groans as he lifts his head up, feeling like it's made of rocks. He sees a tight black and purple suit covering the rider's back and arm, a sharp contrast to the horse's pure white flank. Hendrik can't see much else of them, other than a belt.

"Wh… where am I?" Hendrik's mouth feels too dry, like he hasn't drank anything in days. That might actually be the case. Hendrik forgets these things a lot.

"Far away from your human buddies." The rider answers with a smirk Hendrik can practically hear.

"Were you the one that… that tied me up?"

"No, my horse did." The rider scoffs. "Of course I tied you up."

"That… that was sarcasm, correct?" Goddess, Hendrik's voice is hoarse.

"Yep." The rider pops the p. He digs through what Hendrik assumes to be his bag, Hendrik can't really see it, and the rider holds out a piece of jerky to Hendrik with a thickly-gloved hand. "Want something to eat?"

Just then, Hendrik's stomach growls and twists painfully, making Hendrik acutely aware of his hunger. "Yes, please."

"Well too bad." The rider eats the jerky right then and there.

Hendrik groans and lets his head drop. "Where, exactly, are you taking me?"

"Somewhere you're not gonna like."

If Hendrik could facepalm, he would. Instead, he just sighs. He's too disoriented to recognize his surroundings, and his would-be kidnapper isn't helping. Guess Hendrik has to find out where he is the old fashioned way. With a grunt, he rolls off the horse and lands on the ground with a loud thud. He scrambles to get to his feet…

Only to find his ankles are bound as well.

The rider stops his horse and gets off. With no other option, Hendrik starts crawling as fast as he can. The rider just laughs and walks up to Hendrik, then picks him up and drags him back to the horse. Hendrik struggles against his hold, desperately wriggling in his captor's grasp.

"Ugh, don't make me cast Snooze on you!" The rider shouts as he claws for a stronger grip. 

Hendrik rears his head forward and headbutts the rider. Hard. The rider stumbles, dropping Hendrik. Hendrik manages to get an impressive two feet away from the rider before he recovers.

"Fine! You asked for it! Snooze!"

Strong magic crashes over Hendrik like a wave, knocking the wind out of him. Hendrik's eyelids grow heavy and weary, threatening to pull Hendrik into a coma. Hendrik lasts about six seconds before his eyes shut, and all fight leaves his body with a sleepy sigh.

\-----

"…ell him I'm home, and that I've got a surprise for him."

Hendrik groans as he awakens. He vaguely registers armored feet stomping away from him. His hands and feet are still bound, but now Hendrik's laying on his side, on something much more comfortable than the back of a horse. Looking around, Hendrik realizes that he's indoors, in what appears to be a candlelit living room.

"Awake again, I see." Hendrik's kidnapper walks into view, wearing a tight, primarily black shirt and pants with purple accents, plus a dark pink scarf, with the ends thrown over his shoulder and the cloth pulled up to hide his face. "How do you like the couch? Is it comfy?"

"Where…" Hendrik's voice comes out so raspy it's unintelligible. He clears his throat and tries again. "Where-" Hendrik goes into a coughing fit that wracks his whole body.

The kidnapper rolls his eyes and takes out a waterskin. When Hendrik's coughs die down, the kidnapper holds the waterskin to his lips, and Hendrik graciously accepts, guzzling the entirety of its contents in seconds.

"Where am I?" Hendrik successfully asks, water dripping down his chin.

"Heliodor Castle." The man laughs. "You're dead, old man."

Hendrik stares at the man before him for several seconds. "Heliodor Castle?!"

"Yep. You're gonna die soon." The man sits in a comfortable-looking chair across from Hendrik and crosses his legs. "Might as well make your peace with it now, while you still have the chance."

Hendrik looks around the room. Now that he knows he's in the castle, he recognizes the room as formerly being the king's room, but now repurposed into a living room. "We… we are in Heliodor Castle?"

"Yep." The man takes a book from the table next to him and reads the back.

"Then… you must be working for Mordegon's forces."

"Yep." The man opens the book.

"So… you are a human working for the Army of Darkness?"

The man glances up at him and scoffs. "Won't be human for long, that's for damn sure."

"Why haven't you thrown me into the dungeon yet?" Hendrik questions, trying- and failing- to pull himself into a sitting position.

"Figured you could at least sit down for a while and be comfy before you die. It's no skin off my nose." The man carefully flips a page with dark pink gloves. "And don't even think about escaping. There's several guards outside the door, magic sigils on the windows that kill humans instantly, and all secret passages are either guarded or walled up. Also, I took your stuff."

Hendrik curses under his breath. "May I at least know your name?"

"Malachite." The man finally provides, glancing at Hendrik again.

"Malachite…" Hendrik mumbles. "Where have I heard that name before…?"

"Heard of me, have you?" The corners of Malachite's eyes crinkle as he bookmarks his page and puts the book down. "About time. I've been terrorizing the humans for months!"

Hendrik thinks for a moment. "No, I believe I have never heard of you before."

"What?!"

"I am certain I have heard the name Malachite somewhere else." Hendrik confirms.

Malachite groans and puts his head in his hands. "Ughhhhh, whyyyyyy?" He laments, bringing a hand up to run through his brown hair. Then, his chest shakes, and he sniffles. "I just want the humans to fear me…"

Hendrik sits there as Malachite cries. Hendrik glances around the room, looking for something, anything, to help him escape this situation. But there's nothing he can use. He has to sit there and listen to his captor cry.

Malachite suddenly stands up and walks behind Hendrik. "No! Don't cry! Don't cry." Malachite sniffles. "You wanna look tough when he gets here. Breathe, breathe, breathe…" Malachite takes several deep breaths, then sighs. He spends a few more moments behind Hendrik before coming back around to sit next to Hendrik.

"Um…" Hendrik lifts his head up and glances at Malachite's reddened eye (eye?). Now that Malachite's closer, Hendrik can see several scars peeking out from under his scarf.

"What?!" Malachite shoots Hendrik a glare.

"Uh…"

"Spit it out!"

"…Nevermind." Hendrik sighs and puts his head down. "Could you set me upright?"

Malachite rolls his eyes as he brings Hendrik into a sitting position. "You could've just done that yourself."

"My hands-"

The door opens. Hendrik and Malachite look to the person standing in the doorway. Pure, excited glee runs through Malacite's entire being, while for Hendrik, it's as if his blood has turned to ice.

For the man standing before them is none other than Jasper, second-in-command to the Lord of Shadows, and traitor to Heliodor Kingdom.


	2. Enter Sir Jasper

Malachite stands up with a bounce as Jasper looks at them with wide eyes. "Jasper!"

Jasper looks to Malachite, then Hendrik. "Malachite, I… what?"

Malachite turns around to face Hendrik, who's sitting frozen in shock. He grabs Hendrik by the tunic and shoves him to the ground. Hendrik lands with a dull thud, hitting his head on the floor. Hendrik hardly has any time to blink the stars out of his vision before Malachite yanks him up by his hair and forces him into a kneeling position.

"When you're in Supreme Commander Jasper's presence, you bow." Malachite grits to Hendrik. Then, he turns back to Jasper. "Look! I captured Hendrik!"

Hendrik blinks, and Jasper's before him, tilting his head up by the chin. Disgust is what prompts Hendrik to yank his head back and try to break out of his bonds… only for his arms to wriggle ineffectively. Jasper suddenly cackles, prompting Hendrik to glare daggers at him.

"Does something amuse you, traitor?!" Hendrik spits out.

"Ha ha ha! It seems you truly have captured Sir Hendrik! Well done, my little darkspawn, well done!" Jasper says to Malachite, completely ignoring Hendrik. "I was going to chew you out on leaving your mission early, but this? This is more than enough to make up for it."

Hendrik grunts as he tenses and untenses his muscles, trying to work the ropes loose.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't let this opportunity slip by. Hendrik was right there in front of me."

Hendrik leans back and fumbles for his boots, hoping Malachite forgot to check them. His heart sinks once he realizes the knife he shoved into his boot isn't there.

"I see someone's taking my lessons to heart." Jasper smirks as he looks at Hendrik. He snickers at the sight of Hendrik struggling. "Well, at least the ones about strategy and tying knots."

Hendrik grabs the ropes tying his ankles and tugs on them with all his might. They don't budge.

Malachite takes one look at Hendrik and laughs. "Now he's no better than a damn worm on a brick road."

As a last resort, Hendrik tries creating friction between the ropes to wear them down, hoping it at least aids in his escape.

"Oh, spare yourself some dignity, my dear Hendrik." Jasper walks around to behind Hendrik. "Those ropes aren't budging anytime soon."

"Dear?!" Hendrik whips around as best he can. "You dare to call me 'dear,' after you attempted to have me murdered, and caused the Fall of Yggdrasil?!"

"I'll call you whatever my heart desires. After all," Jasper crouches down and tucks Hendrik's hair behind his ear. "You're my prisoner."

Hendrik headbutts Jasper, making both recoil. Jasper falls to the ground, cursing loudly. Malachite draws his swords in an instant, kicking Hendrik just below the ribs, knocking the wind out of him and making him fall. Malachite straddles Hendrik and crosses his swords over Hendrik's throat, just barely keeping himself from beheading Hendrik. Hendrik freezes instantly, blood turning to ice.

"Should I kill him?" Malachite asks without taking his eyes off Hendrik for a second.

"Ugh, give me a minute…" Jasper groans. "Where did I put my handkerchief?"

"You can use mine. Front pouch, left side." Malachite adjusts his position, bringing his left leg a little more out.

Jasper gets up and goes over to Malachite's side. He reaches down with one hand while the other clutches his nose. Hendrik risks a glance downwards to see Jasper unbutton one of the brown pouches on Malachite's dark pink belt. Jasper pulls out the handkerchief and wipes his nose, staining the handkerchief red.

"Thank you. Guards!" Jasper looks to the door.

Several sets of armored boots stomp inside. Bones clack against each other, a sound Hendrik knows all too well from countless battles against the undead.

"Put Hendrik in the dungeon." Jasper orders. "And Malachite, put him to sleep."

Malachite brings one sword away to cast. Hendrik is helpless to resist as Malachite casts Snooze, rendering Hendrik unconscious once again. The last thing he feels is something grabbing him as a weight is lifted off his abdomen.

\-----

Hendrik slaps his hand over his ear as the booming voices echo, piercing his brain. Rhythmnic tapping only serves to pound on Hendrik's head like a drum, making Hendrik whimper and curl up into a ball.

"YEAH, HE HEADBUTTED ME TOO." Someone screeches with little regard to Hendrik's poor head.

"I SEE. IS HE AWAKE?"

"LAST TIME WE CHECKED, NO."

"I'LL CHECK AGAIN."

The rhythmnic tapping grows louder, faster, making bile rise in Hendrik's throat. Soon, it stops. Hendrik only has a moment of relief before an ear-piercing rattle rips a scream out of Hendrik's mouth.

"**SHIT!**" Someone screams in response. "**HE'S AWAKE!**"

More tapping. Hendrik clutches his head and openly sobs as the noise drives a wedge into his skull, splitting his body in half. The tapping only gets louder, threatening to make Hendrik spew out what little contents reside in his stomach.

"HENDRIK?" Something feather-light brushes against Hendrik's cheekbone, making him flinch.

"SH!" Someone whistles. "LET ME LOOK HIM OVER."

Hendrik pries a single eye open, and immediately shuts it again. The blinding light burns in Hendrik's eyeball, threatening to overwhelm his senses. And if that wasn't bad enough, there's more tapping and an earth-shattering thud that Hendrik's poor head has to contend with. Razor-sharp needles poke and prod the back of Hendrik's head, leaving nothing but pure pain in their wake. Then, a weight is dropped onto Hendrik's cheek, tapping lightly.

"Hey." Someone whispers. "Can you hear me?"

Hendrik turns his face into the scratchy thing below him and whimpers.

"I'm a doctor. I'm here to see about that concussion of yours."

"Wh, wha…?" Hendrik's voice feels strange and foreign to his ears.

"You have a concussion. It's when your brain is bruised."

"Oh…" Hendrik groans. "Whyyyy?"

"Because, as Jasper and Malachite here have told me, you hit your head multiple times."

"Ugh, who, who's Malachite?" Hendrik asks as he rubs his head.

"The young man with the scarf."

Hendrik tries to open his eyes. The light still blinds, so Hendrik blinks and blinks until it doesn't hurt so much. Spots dance in Hendrik's vision, obscuring most of the room and its inhabitants.

"Oh dear…" The doctor makes something rattle too loudly, then before Hendrik knows it, he makes a noise that's like nails on a chalkboard. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Hendrik blinks in confusion. The motion clears up his vision a little, allowing him to see a whiteish-brownish blob hovering in his face. Hendrik tries to decipher the shape, but the spots and blurs make it too hard for him. After several seconds, the blob disappears, and the doctor makes that nail on a chalkboard sound again. Hendrik closes his eyes and clamps a hand over his ear.

"Ok, let's try and stand up." Something tugs Hendrik upwards. Hendrik whimpers as the motions only serve to make his head pound harder. "I'm going to let you go, now." The force lifting Hendrik up suddenly dissolves, making Hendrik fall flat on his ass.

Hendrik takes in his new position. He looks down at his legs. Something bubbles up in his chest. Before he knows it, he erupts with laughter, belly seizing so hard he falls over. He doesn't even notice the scratching noise over his own laughter.

"**WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!**" Someone screams as they stomp up to Hendrik, making him pause his laughter to wince and rub his head. Before Hendrik knows it, he's yanked up. "**ANSWER ME!**"

All the noise beats Hendrik's head from the inside out, making fat tears slip from Hendrik's eyes once again.

"**MALACHITE, STOP!**" A voice booms, only adding to Hendrik's hurt. "WE NEED HIM FOR INTERROGATION."

Hendrik is pushed backwards. He manages to stay upright, however, he sways dangerously. A firm presence on Hendrik's shoulder stabilises him as Hendrik hugs himself and cries.

"You ok?"

Hendrik sobs quietly as his head feels like it's splitting open. Actually, no. It would hurt less if Hendrik's skull was actually being pried apart.

More scratching. Then, some shuffling. "Jasper?"

"What?" A new voice whispers.

The doctor, or the person Hendrik assumed was the doctor, started whispering so low Hendrik couldn't make it out anymore. Hendrik is just grateful for the quiet. Today has been too loud for him to bear.

When the whispering stops, the tapping starts up again, the blinding light dying down as the tapping gets quieter. Hendrik barely registers an unintelligible voice before Hendrik's eyelids droop. Hendrik barely has the mind to lay down before being lulled into unconsciousness.


	3. Cursed

_Eight days later…_

A sharp, stinging pain on Hendrik's cheek is what interrupts his sleep.

"I said WAKE UP!" Malachite screams for what feels like the millionth time.

"Ugh, I'm awake…" Hendrik groans as he sits up and holds his cheek.

"Doctor's gonna look you over again." Malachite says, taking out some shackles.

"Could you give me a minute?" Hendrik rubs his cheek, trying to soothe the pain away.

"Fiiiiine." Malachite crosses his arms and glares at Hendrik.

Hendrik takes his hand away from his surely-bruised cheek. "Why do you slap me every time you wake me up?"

"Cuz it's fun, and it's what you deserve."

"What did I do to him?" Hendrik mumbles under his breath, too quiet for Malachite to hear.

"Anyway, you done whining? Cuz I don't have all day."

Hendrik sighs and stands up, then holds his wrists out. Malachite is quick to clamp the shackles over them and lock the shackles, then he guides Hendrik outside the cell, where several guards await. Hendrik knows better than to try and escape now, he learned that the hard way… but not before several escape attempts and two beatings. The guards circle around Hendrik as Malachite lets go of Hendrik and draws a platinum sword. Then, an infernal armor grabs Hendrik by the arm and drags him away.

Hendrik is taken to a small room, where the doctor, a man by the name of Martin Hemstein, is sitting at a table. Jasper is leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, looking bored. Hendrik walks inside, with the guards and Malachite standing outside the door.

"Shut the door." Jasper casually orders.

Someone shuts the door behind Hendrik and locks it.

"You know the drill." Jasper offhandedly mentions as he looks over his nails.

Hendrik shoots a dirty look at Jasper as he takes his seat next to Hemstein. Hemstein takes a candle out of his bag and lights it in front of Hendrik's face. Hendrik blinks at the sudden light, but tries to focus on it nonetheless. After a moment, Hemstein puts the candle down.

"Have you felt nauseous lately?" Hemstein asks.

"No."

"Any headaches?"

"No."

"Fluid leaking-"

"No." Hendrik purses his lips in annoyance.

Hemstein considers that for a moment. "Could you walk-"

Hendrik gets up and walks in a straight line.

"Well, you seem to have recovered, despite your circumstances." Hemstein sighs. "You should consider yourself lucky. You only had a mild concussion after four head impacts within the same day. And considering where you're sleeping..."

"You are saying I do not have a concussion anymore?"

"Yes." Hemstein confirms. "Although I would take it easy, just to be on the safe side. And get some ice for that bruise. It looks nasty."

Hendrik touches the cheek Malachite slapped, several times, as hard as he physically could. "I see."

"Is that all?" Jasper suddenly pipes up, getting off the wall.

"Yes, but-"

"Malachite!"

"Yeah?" Malachite stands on his toes to look through the grate in the door.

"Do you have Hemstein's payment?"

"Yep."

"Hand it to him on his way out." After a moment, Jasper looks at Hemstein and jerks his head towards the door.

Hemstein sighs and grabs his bag, moving to the door. "Well, good day to you both."

"Wait!" Hendrik holds up a hand. "Why are you serving the darkness? You're human. They will kill you."

"I have four kids." Is all Hemstein says before Malachite opens the door, hands him a sack of coins, and lets Hemstein through.

"Can we interrogate him now?" Malachite pokes his head through the door.

Jasper shrugs. "Why not? Might as well, since we're here."

Hendrik's blood runs cold. "Interrogate…?"

"Yep!" Malachite runs in and shuts the door, locking it. "Why d'you think we kept you alive this long?"

The image of Heliodor's old torture devices immediately come to mind, and Hendrik has to force himself to not dwell on them. Scaring himself will only make Hendrik crack faster, and he wants to hold out as long as he can. If Jasper pries any information out of him, it could put the lives of those at the Last Bastion at stake.

"So, what do ya wanna do? Beat him up? Whip him? Put him in an iron maiden?" Malachite's voice raises in pitch with each suggestion. He bounces on the balls of his feet as he looks to Jasper for guidance. "Can I help?!"

Jasper chuckles and pats Malachite's head. "Your enthusiasm is wonderful, but I have something less… messy in mind."

"…So waterboarding?"

Jasper laughs. "No. I've been working on a new spell, and I need help testing it."

"…Does it make Hendrik feel a ton of pain without-"

"No. It is something to, ah, compel Hendrik to confess." Jasper gives Hendrik a small but chilling smile and raises his hand.

Hendrik ducks right as the spell sails towards him. Jasper launches another ball of darkness at Hendrik, which Hendrik dodges, too. Jasper growls in frustration and shoots another ball. Hendrik dodges again.

"Want me to cast snooze on him?" Malachite suggests.

"Just hold him down and-"

Hendrik uses the opening to charge at the door and slam his shoulder into it. He manages to poke a hole in the door, but it's not enough to force the door open, and he stumbles backwards, nearly toppling over. Jasper flings darkness straight into Hendrik's chest, finally hitting him.

Hendrik falls over, hitting his back on the table leg. Black creeps into the edges of his vision, constricting his chest and limiting his breathing. His eyelids flutter open and closed, and his mouth hangs open as he loses feeling in his whole body.

"What-"

"Sh!" Jasper hisses.

Something clamps down in Hendrik's body, making him twitch for a few moments. Then, the darkness releases his lungs, making his eyes fly open, and allowing him to heave in several deep breaths. He coughs harshly, chest seizing as he struggles to catch his breath.

"…If you're trying to kill him, I don't think it's working."

Jasper holds up a finger. Eventually, Hendrik's coughing eases, and his breath slows. Jasper arrogantly smirks and pushes his hair out of his face.

"Are you done?" Jasper asks.

Hendrik coughs one last time. "Yes." He sighs.

"Good. Now lay facedown."

Hendrik looks at Jasper weird, but complies anyway. He carefully pushes himself off the table leg and lays down on his belly, his nose pressed to the stone.

"Do not attempt to escape." Jasper jangles some keys. "And do not attack me or Malachite. Or any monster, for that matter." Jasper unlocks the shackles, freeing Hendrik's wrists. Then, he takes a few steps back. "Now sit in one of the chairs."

Hendrik's limbs seem to move of their own accord as he gets up and sits in one of the chairs. Then, he looks at his hands, then to Jasper. Jasper's smirk becomes a grin as he sits in the adjacent chair and crosses his legs.

"Now, for the interrogation…" Jasper puts his staff on the table and clasps his hands.

Hendrik brings his elbow up and slams it towards Jasper, intending to break his nose and steal his keys… only for his elbow to suddenly stop halfway towards Jasper's face. Hendrik brings his elbow back and tries again, only for his arm to betray him and stay completely still. Jasper doesn't so much as blink at Hendrik's efforts.

"What…?" Hendrik can't help but to whisper in complete and utter confusion.

"Why don't you put that arm down?" Jasper politely suggests, smile everything but reassuring. "It will get tired like that. Besides, there is no point in trying to attack me. I don't know if you've noticed, but you can't strike me."

Hendrik growls. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Malachite suddenly bursts into laughter. "Oh, dark lord!" Malachite doubles over, clutching his belly. "I-I figured it out!"

"Figured what out?!" Hendrik turns around to see Malachite.

Jasper laughs a little, throwing his head back. "That you can't disobey me."


	4. Interrogation: Part One

"Wh-what?!" Hendrik splutters incredulously.

"I said, you can't disobey me. That spell I hit you with? That was a little curse I concocted just for you." Jasper smugly explains. "I've spent weeks testing it on humans, perfecting it, all so I could bend you to my will."

"So THAT'S why you wanted so many humans!" Malachite exclaims in realization.

"Anyway, there's no breaking this curse. Not unless I release you from it. Which is not happening anytime soon." Jasper adds with a laugh.

"WHAT?!"

Jasper just smiles and leans back so that only two chair legs are on the ground. "I know I used a big word or two, but do try to keep up with me. You know I don't like repeating myself."

"Goddess damn you, Jasper!" Hendrik screams in rage as he ineffectively tries to lunge at Jasper. "As soon as-"

Jasper checks his nails. He notices a hangnail and carefully peels it off.

"-I break this curse, I shall kill you and Mordegon! I swear it!"

"Um, Jasper?" Malachite taps Jasper's shoulder, uncharacteristically quiet. "Can you… not do that? Please?"

"Do what?" Jasper turns to look at Malachite.

"Um, not… lean back... in your chair."

Jasper sighs. "It's in my nature to sit improperly. Right, Hendrik?"

"Right." Hendrik nods automaticaly, then curses himself for complying so readily.

"But…" Malachite's eyes water. "But what if you fall, and you hit your head?! What if you split your skull open?! What if you die, and the curse breaks, and Hendrik kills me?! What if-"

"Hey hey hey, it's ok." Jasper shushes in a soothing voice. "It's alright." Jasper brings the chair forward so that it's on all four legs. "See? I even promise not to lean back, if it concerns you so much."

Malachite sniffles and wipes his eyes with his scarf. "Ok… thank you."

Jasper reaches for Malachite and hugs him, then lets him go to look at Hendrik again. "Now, where were we…?"

Hendrik looks to Jasper and Malachite, the latter of which is stepping back and hiccuping. He thought Malachite was just a soldier to Jasper, perhaps an advisor, or even a bodyguard, but their interaction just now implies a personal question. "I have to ask, what is your relation to one another?"

"JASPER'S ASKING THE QUESTIONS, NOT YOU!" Malachite suddenly screams.

Hendrik reels back while Jasper winces. Jasper groans as he rubs his ear.

"Calm down. He simply asked a question." Jasper tells Malachite.

"…He's allowed to do that?"

"Yes." Jasper frowns for a second. "And to answer Hendrik's question, Malachite is my protégé."

"You… have a protégé?" Hendrik slowly settles back down.

"Yes, a protégé. According to the dictionary, a protégé is when-"

"I know what a protégé is!" Hendrik interrupts. "I… When did you take him on?"

"A little while after the Fall." Jasper's face grows dark. "He…" Jasper sighs. "Let's just say he needed help, and leave it at that." Then, Jasper clears his throat. "…Anyway, I was supposed to be interrogating you." He uncrosses his legs to bring them up and bring them to his lap. "So, Hendrik: you cannot lie to me. You can only tell me the truth. The whole truth. Understand?"

"Yes." Hendrik's mouth says on its own.

Jasper smiles a little. "Good. Now, let us start off with a simple question. Uh…" Jasper taps his chin. "What should the starting question be…?" He wonders out loud.

"Ask if he's wearing underwear. He can only answer one way, and we both know which way it'll be." Malachite suggests.

"Alright, I'll bite. Are you wearing underwear?" Jasper asks indifferently.

"No."

The whole room goes quiet. Hendrik realizes what he said and lets out a long, awkward squeak, blushing from head to toe. He bends forward and hides his face in his hands. Malachite flashes through several emotions at once, not one of them positive. Jasper coughs into his hand and turns a few shades darker purple.

"That was… too much information." Malachite says after a long silence.

"...Yes. Yes it is." Jasper rubs at his cheeks.

"I COULDN'T ANSWER ANY OTHER WAY!"

Jasper turns away and takes a few deep breaths before regaining his composure. "At least we know the curse is working."

"Did you really have to ask that of me?!" Hendrik yells, too embarassed to look at anyone.

"…I think it'd be best if we just… pretended that didn't happen." Jasper decides. "So, um, what do you know about the Luminary?"

"I believe he is still alive, but I don't have any evidence to prove it." As soon as the words leave Hendrik's mouth, he cringes.

Malachite scoffs. "Luminary's dead."

"Exactly what Malachite said. The Luminary is certainly dead." Jasper confirms.

"Then why did you ask?"

Jasper shrugs. "You never know."

Hendrik puts his hands down now that his blush has died down a little. He fists them in his tunic and locks his arms while staring straight down.

"So, how did Malachite manage to capture you?" Jasper asks after a moment.

"He snuck up on me while I was, ahem, doing my business, and he tried to knock me out with a blow to the head. He failed to knock me unconscious, so he casted Snooze on me."

A pregnant pause follows. Then, Jasper bursts into laughter. Malachite hunches over and pulls his scarf up to cover his entire face. Hendrik blushes anew and tries to ignore Jasper's laughter.

"And here Malachite was, telling me all about the epic battle to take you in!" Jasper cackles, clutching his belly. "How embarassing!"

"He- he's lying!" Malachite shouts. "He's a human! It's in his nature!"

"Mala, word of, word of advice," Jasper's chest shakes as he tries to hold in his laughter. "Don't… dig deeper holes… for yourself."

"I hate you, Hendrik!" Malachite suddenly starts running… only to run facefirst into the door. Malachite curses loudly and fumbles for the keys. He unlocks the door, then runs out, leaving the door wide open.

Jasper just sighs and shakes his head. "Someone lock the door."

"Uh, Supreme Commander?" A minion stands in the doorway.

"What?"

"Malachite had the only key for the door."

Jasper sighs harder. "I suppose we'll have to postpone the interrogation. Hendrik, hold your wrists out."

Hendrik resigns himself to being bound again as his body holds his wrists out. Jasper shackles Hendrik, then checks the locks. He nods in approval and lets Hendrik's wrists go.

"First order of business: you're getting a bath and some clothes. It's frankly embarassing to stand next to someone with a stench such as yours."


	5. Rub A Dub Dub, Hendrik In The Tub

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: this ch has dry heaving in it. also, this is where the past rape tag comes into play. nothing is shown in regards to it, but hendrik physically reacts to his triggers

Hendrik is eventually taken to a small room with a tub, some towels, and bathing supplies on an end table next to the bath. Jasper unlocks the shackles, then nudges Hendrik towards the bath.

"Why don't you go ahead and clean up, hm? There's plenty of soaps and shampoos for you to choose from, but don't take anything from the room. We can't have you use anything to try and escape, can we?"

"I swear to all that is holy, as soon as I escape from your clutches, I shall kill you with my bare hands." Hendrik snarls as he rubs out his wrists.

Jasper laughs. "How adorable." He pats the top of Hendrik's head, then immediately wrinkles his nose and wipes his hand on his clothes. "How long has it been since you've washed your hair?"

"I don't know." Hendrik blushes and fiddles with his sleeve as his mouth answers for him.

"Ugh. Make sure you wash it at some point." Jasper hands the shackles to a nearby guard. "If you need anything, ask the guards outside the door. I will look for Malachite." Jasper closes the door. A few moments later, Hendrik hears a locking sound.

Hendrik sighs and stares into the steam rolling off the tub. It has been a long time since he's had a hot bath… Hendrik strips out of his clothes and neatly folds them up, then puts them on the ground next to his boots. He dips his toe into the bathwater for a few seconds, then lowers his leg in. He brings his other leg into the water, then sinks into it with a groan as the hot water eases weeks-old aches and pains.

Hendrik idly tilts his head back and cups his hand to pour water over his neck and collarbones, sighing as the hot water heats his skin. He closes his eyes and takes a moment to enjoy the warmth before grabbing a bar of soap and rubbing it over his chest. He keeps his eyes focused on a towel rack, forcing himself to not look where he's washing. He brings the soap down to his abs, which used to be tough and uniform, but have become so sunken in by hunger that the dips in between each abdominal muscle have become clearly defined, and starts washing his belly.

At the sixth rub, the soap slips through Hendrik's fingers. Hendrik internally curses as the soap falls between his thighs and into the unknown. Hendrik closes his eyes and reaches down. His fingertips brush against his inner thigh, making Hendrik shudder. Nausea coils in his stomach, forcing Hendrik to stop and clench his fists as he tries to keep his breathing even. He brings his hands up to hold onto the sides of the tub with a death grip and repeatedly counts to three, syncing his breaths with each count. Soon, his heartbeat slows, and Hendrik can breathe normally again. He relaxes his grip and lets out a sigh, letting his thighs slip back down again.

Hendrik's thighs come to rest on top of the soap. His eyes immediately shoot open, his belly seizes, and his breath comes in short gasps. Moments later, Hendrik leans over the side of the tub and heaves and heaves, but nothing comes up. He clutches his belly as tears prick his eyes, feeling filth crawl all over his body. Hendrik heaves a few more times before his whole body shudders and finally allows him to breathe. Someone quietly knocks on the door.

"Are you okay?" An unfamiliar, echoey voice says to Hendrik through the door.

"Yes." Hendrik can barely choke out.

"If you say so…"

Hendrik forces himself through his breathing exercises once again, trying to think about anything but… that. He fumbles underneath him, carefully avoiding his thighs, until he manages to get ahold of the soap. Then, he chucks it across the room in a fit of short-lived rage that leaves him feeling hollow inside. He slumps back into the tub, keeping his eyes closed. Hendrik sighs and rubs his face, smearing water all over it, then he blindly grabs a bottle off the end table, squirts its contents into his hand, and starts washing his hair as fast as he can.

By the time he's done, Hendrik's certain he cut his scalp at some point, but he can't bring himself to care. He just stands up and gets out of the tub, then grabs a towel and blindly dries himself off. Afterwards, he wraps it around this body and looks around for a spare change of clothes… only for none to be found. Hendrik sighs and walks up to the door and knocks.

"I need clothes." Hendrik's voice wavers a little.

"It should be under the towel rack." The same person from earlier says.

Hendrik glances back at the towel rack. "It is not there."

"Oh. Maybe it's behind the tub?"

Hendrik goes around the tub and finds a neat stack of clothes. "I found them."

"Ok, good. I trust you can get dressed by yourself?"

Hendrik would sigh and shake his head, if he had the energy to feel emotion. Instead, he remains still. "Yes."

The guard, or who Hendrik assumes is the guard, goes quiet. Hendrik picks up the clothes and puts them on, feeling his way into them instead of looking. He ends up wearing a white long sleeved shirt with loose black pants. However, since whoever provided his clothes didn't see fit to leave him with footwear, Hendrik has to go barefoot. He goes back to the door and raises his hand to knock… but he hears voices on the other side. Hendrik lowers his fist and presses his ear to the door.

"Is he still in there?" Jasper asks.

"Yes. He's probably getting dressed as we speak."

"Good." There's a pause before someone knocks, making Hendrik reel back and wince. "Hendrik? Are you decent?"

"Yes." Hendrik isn't sure if that was him answering, or the curse.

"I'm opening the door." Jasper says before doing just that. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

The door opens. Jasper steps out of the way, and Hendrik takes a few steps forward…

Only to run face-first into an invisible wall.

"Shit!" Hendrik gingerly touches his nose. It stings, but it doesn't feel broken.

"What the…?" Jasper blinks as he stares at Hendrik. "Oh! I know what the problem is. Empty your pockets."

Hendrik feels for the pockets, but comes up blank. "I do not have pockets."

"Is that so?" Jasper tilts his head to the side. "Are you hiding anything under your clothes?"

"No, I am not."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"Hmm…" Jasper strokes his chin. "You couldn't lie if you wanted to, so…"

Hendrik takes the time to try and put his hand through. It meets with the same invisible barrier, firmly keeping Hendrik within the room. Hendrik puts his other hand on the wall and pushes on it, but to no avail.

"Um…" Jasper ponders. "Oh, right! The command! Hendrik, you may leave the bathroom with the clothes."

The wall suddenly dissipates, sending Hendrik tumbling to the ground. Then, something stops him. Hendrik looks up at the person that caught him. Then, he scowls and rips himself out of Jasper's arms.

"Did you… have a nice bath?" Jasper says after a moment.

"No." Hendrik manages to recover enough energy to feel annoyed.

Jasper sighs. He reshackles Hendrik. "Where did you leave your dirty clothes?"

"By the end table."

"Stay there." Jasper walks past Hendrik and into the bathroom, and then immediately slips on a bar of soap and falls, flailing his limbs out and shrieking in a comical matter. "Ow, fuuuuuck!"

The corner of Hendrik's mouth turns upwards, but otherwise, he doesn't react. The two guards giggle a little, but when Jasper levels a glare at them, they immediately become stony-faced. Jasper gets up and dusts himself off, then continues on as if nothing happened. He picks up some of Hendrik's clothes and sniffs them, then makes a face and drops them.

"Burn those clothes." Jasper points to the clothes and orders. The guards and Hendrik walk into the room. "Not you, Hendrik. You're coming with me." Jasper goes into the hallway without bothering to look at Hendrik.

"Where are we going?" Hendrik asks, having no choice but to trail behind.

"We're going to look for Malachite. Then, we shall have breakfast."

"So you have been unable to locate him?"

Jasper nods. "He's not in any of his usual haunts, so he's likely hiding. Or he has been moving around." Jasper opens a door and steps inside.

Hendrik follows Jasper into the debris-filled room. He checks behind a few boulders before going into the center of the room. "Do you know where he might be?"

Jasper glances away from Hendrik, then he focuses on a spot in the room and smiles. "There you are, darkspawn! I've been looking for you!"


	6. Foiling Plots

Malachite drags the charcoal across the paper, making a perfectly-straight line unassisted. Then, he makes several short strokes across the paper, forming several parallel lines. Malachite contemplates his drawing for a moment before adding several curvy lines.

The sound of a door opening makes Malachite look up. Jasper and the human walk into the room. Malachite pays it no mind and finishes his drawing, then holds it to his chest as he sits up, letting his abdominal muscles take a break.

"There you are, darkspawn! I've been looking for you!"

Malachite looks up again and smiles. The sight of Jasper soothes away what remaining negative emotions still affect Malachite, leaving only happiness in its wake. Then, he looks at the human, who has his mouth open in the stupidest expression Malachite has ever seen, and it instantly sours Malachite's mood.

"HOW IN THE GODDESS' NAME DID YOU GET UP THERE?!" The human screeches.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Malachite spits venomously, folding up his paper and putting it in his pocket.

"Now now, there's no need for that." Jasper states, looking up at Malachite. "Just come down so we can have breakfast."

Malachite straightens his legs, slipping off the chandelier and falling. He twists his body in midair, spinning his body in a half-circle, and letting his feet meet the ground. He instinctually bends his knees on impact, ends of his scarf fluttering onto the ground, then he stands up.

"The human is behind you." Malachite notes, staring at the human's dumb expression, which seems to have been set in stone.

Jasper sighs. "I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, he can't hurt us anymore."

"He's a human. He might be dumb, but he'll find a way. They always do."

The dumb human finally closes his dumb mouth, but his dumb face still irks Malachite. He levels Malachite with an icy glare, making Malachite shiver and internally recoil. His right hand goes to the sword at his hip and holds it so tight his glove squeaks.

"Now there, Malachite, I'm keeping an eye on him. If he tries anything, I will command him to stop. Isn't that right, Hendrik?"

"Yes." The human says immediately, face going blank.

He's lying. He must be. Why else would his face change? "Are you sure he's still cursed?"

"Let's see. Hendrik, are you still cursed?"

"Yes."

"See?" Jasper smiles reassuringly.

Malachite sighs. Jasper doesn't seem inclined to believe otherwise. "Alright. But he walks in front of me."

The human blinks. No doubt Malachite has already foiled one of his plans. Malachite silently congratulates himself for that feat and moves behind the human, keeping both hands on his swords. Jasper starts walking, and the human and Malachite follow. The human glances back at Malachite several times as they go to the dining room. Each time, Malachite draws his swords a little in warning.

"Did I do something to you?" The human finally says.

"In fact, yes. Yes you did. You're a human, which means you delight in the suffering of others."

The human visibly recoils. "What do you mean?!"

"What do you think I meant? That you're a good person? That you kiss babies and pet puppies?"

"Don't pay any mind to that." Jasper tells the human. "He hates humans with his whole being."

"Why is that?"

Jasper stops. All goes deafeningly quiet. Malachite's breath comes in short bursts, too quiet to disturb the silence. Jasper turns to the human and stares. Then, after what seems like an eternity, Jasper starts walking again.

"You did not answer my question." The human presses.

"Indeed, I didn't." Jasper grits his teeth so hard they squeak, and his hands ball into fists.

"…Are you going to answer it?"

"No." And with that, Jasper ends the conversation right then and there.

Malachite blinks twice to clear away the blurriness in his vision before coming up to hug Jasper from behind. Jasper reaches behind to smooth out Malachite's hair.

"Do you need to cry?" Jasper whispers.

Malachite sniffles. "Not yet."

"How about you walk beside me, hm?"

"But… someone needs to watch the human…"

"Don't fret, I will watch him for you." Jasper reassures Malachite. "He will not take me by surprise."

Malachite swallows the lump in his throat and goes to Jasper's side. Jasper takes his hand, and they walk together. Malachite risks a glance around Jasper to find the human gawking at them.

"WHAT?!" Malachite screams, rage flooding his entire being at once.

"I said nothing!" The human quickly looks away, now facing what's ahead.

"Now, Malachite," Jasper says calmly. "You don't need to shout. You're indoors, remember? Besides, yelling is a lazy way of intimidating someone."

Malachite takes a moment to mull that over. "…Ok. I'm sorry."

Jasper squeezes Malachite's hand. "Just keep it in mind next time."

As they approach the dining room, Malachite overhears some servants inside talking about a play, or a book, or something. Whatever it is, it's clearly about a work of fiction. Jasper opens the door to the dining room and steps in, with Malachite walking behind him to block him from the human. The servants stop talking and stand up straight. Then, some lift up the covers over the foods, while one pulls out two chairs.

"Will the prisoner be joining you?" One of them asks.

"No." Jasper says as he lets go of Malachite's hand and sits down. "He will stand in… the corner."

Malachite looks behind to see the human staring at another door. He lightly taps the human's arm. When the human blinks and looks at Malachite, Malachite speaks. "He said go stand in the corner."

The human looks at Jasper, who only fills his wine glass with orange juice, then the human grumbles something under his breath and stomps off to the corner. Malachite sits down with a satisfied smile and scoops some scrambled eggs and broccoli onto his plate.

"Wooooow, all of this food smells really good!" Malachite loudly declares, exaggeratingly sniffing.

"The chefs seem to have outdone themselves this morning." Jasper pauses to sip some juice. "Why, all of this looks fantastic!" Jasper takes some sausage and toast.

"I know! We've really got some quality food this morning!" Malachite pulls down his scarf and starts eating.

Jasper takes a bite of his sausage, smiles, and eats it. "Mm, this is delicious!"

Malachite picks up the sound of a stomach grumbling from a few feet away. He continues his meal, helping himself to some juice while he's at it, then loudly burps. "Whew, that was a good meal!" Malachite exclaims, patting his belly.

"That it was." Jasper pats Malachite's back. "Um, before I forget, could you give me the key to the interrogation room?"

Malachite hands over the key.

"Thank you. In the future, please don't run out of the interrogation room with the only key." Jasper smiles and sits back. "Now, could you go to the library, read chapter five of 'Forms of Offensive Magic,' and write two pages on what you learned?"

"Ok!" Malachite bounds up, pulls his scarf back up, and pushes his chair in.

"The rest of you, you're dismissed. Lock the doors on your way out." Jasper waves the servants off. After a moment, he adds: "Not you, Hendrik. You will stay here."


	7. Interrogation: Part Two

One by one, everyone shuffles out of the room. Soon, it's just Hendrik and Jasper. Hendrik still can't move from his spot. Jasper turns to Hendrik with a smile that sends shivers down Hendrik's spine.

"Come here."

Hendrik has no choice but to do as he's told. Each step he takes against his will makes his gut clench in on itself and squirm around. He forces himself to not think about what could happen, now that there's no one around but them. When he reaches Jasper, Jasper points to the chair next to his.

"Sit down." Jasper softly compels Hendrik.

Hendrik stiffly sits in the chair, muscles tensed without his knowledge.

"I'm surprised you aren't cursing me out." Jasper comments as he grabs a spare plate from a nearby rack.

Why exactly does Jasper want Hendrik alone? Unless… Oh goddess. Not that. Anything but that.

"Have nothing to say, hm?" Jasper puts some food on the plate. "Well, you'll have to talk soon anyway. Since your awful stench has gone away for the most part, we can continue the interrogation."

The interrogation. Right. That. Hendrik hopes Jasper just tortures him. Hendrik can handle torture. He's been tortured before. Nothing new to him.

"Can you hear me?"

"Yes." Hendrik quietly answers.

"Good." Jasper puts the plate down in front of them. "To start off with, how many people are in the Last Bastion?"

"Approximately one hundred." Hendrik is forced to say. Then, he cringes.

"And how many of them are soldiers, militia, or otherwise in fighting shape?"

"Thirty-five."

Jasper smirks. "Very good, Hendrik." He pats the top of Hendrik's head, then tears off a piece of toast and holds it to Hendrik's mouth.

Hendrik stares at the toast for several awkwardly long seconds.

"You are hungry, are you not?" Jasper presses the toast to Hendrik's lips.

"I am." Hendrik's tummy rumbles right after, much to Hendrik's embarassment.

"Then go ahead and eat."

Hendrik opens his mouth, and Jasper pushes the toast inside. Jasper takes his hand away when Hendrik starts chewing, settling his hand by the plate. He quietly watches as Hendrik swallows. 

"Has the Last Bastion gained any weapons since the last assault on it?"

"Yes." A few knives, some swords, but nothing worth mentioning.

Jasper pauses to consider. "Anything particularly powerful?"

"No."

"Where is the most heavily guarded section of the Bastion?"

"The end facing Heliodor city." All of a sudden, Hendrik's eyes fly open in realization.

"I see." Jasper grins. "And where-"

Hendrik slaps his palm firmly over his mouth.

"-Is the least guarded section?"

Hendrik manages to force his hand to stay for all of three seconds before it wrenches itself away, allowing his mouth to betray him. "The end furthest from Heliodor City."

Jasper chuckles as he breaks off another piece of toast. "Oh, Hendrik, why are you bothering to try and disobey me? You know as well as I do that you cannot resist."

Hendrik bites back an insult. "I hate you." Slips out instead, though admittedly, it's much better than what Hendrik wanted to say.

Jasper flinches for just a moment, before the smile returns to his face. "I don't love you either." He holds up the chunk of toast. "Now tell me: who delivers your supplies?"

"A variety of merchants." Hendrik's whole body tenses up as he struggles to stop talking. "And occasionally me and my soldiers, whenever we find any supplies."

Jasper brings the toast to Hendrik's mouth. Hendrik can't bear to take it, not after what he was forced to reveal. He turns his head away and ignores Jasper prodding his lips with the toast.

"I know you're still hungry, dear." Jasper takes Hendrik's cheek and turns his head to face Jasper.

Hendrik turns his face the other way. "I do not want it."

"Being stubborn will get you nowhere." Jasper chides. When Hendrik still refuses to eat, Jasper sighs. "Hendrik, turn your head and face me."

Hendrik's head turns to Jasper of its own volition.

"Good." Jasper drawls out. "Now open your mouth."

Hendrik can't look anywhere near Jasper as his mouth opens. Jasper pushes the toast inside, then pushes Hendrik's chin so that his mouth closes. Jasper's thumb lingers on the corner of Hendrik's lips as he comes to cup Hendrik's cheek.

"Now eat."

Hendrik feels Jasper's gaze on him as he chews. Jasper doesn't take his hand away for a second. It's only when Hendrik swallows the suddenly-bland toast does Jasper take his hand away, only to pat Hendrik's head.

"Good boy." Jasper picks up the rest of the toast. "Now, I have one last question, and we can end the interrogation for now. Did anyone from the Luminary's party survive?"

"I do not know."

"Really?" Jasper raises an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Have you heard anything about them? Anything at all?"

"No."

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped." Jasper frowns a little. "Here." He brings the toast towards Hendrik. "Go on."

Hendrik purses his lips and ignores the toast.

"Don't make me order you again, Hendrik."

Hendrik leans forward and takes a bite. It tastes just as bland as the last one. Hendrik slowly chews and swallows.

"I thought you were hungry." Jasper says.

"I am not hungry anymore." Hendrik admits.

"Awww, did that little interrogation upset you too much?" Jasper coos, putting the toast down. "That is alright. I will wait for you to feel better. In the meantime…" Jasper takes a comb out and walks behind Hendrik.

Hendrik turns his whole body to keep facing Jasper. Jasper walks to Hendrik's other side, and Hendrik follows him.

Jasper narrows his eyes. "Don't be defiant."

"I am not being defiant. The curse is making me do this."

Jasper facepalms and drags his hand down his face. "You don't have to face me anymore." Jasper then gets behind Hendrik with no resistance on Hendrik's part. Then, he takes some of Hendrik's hair and runs his comb through the ends.

"What are you doing?" Hendrik asks.

"What does it look like? I am brushing your hair." Jasper somehow manages to say arrogantly as he works out a knot.

"…Why?"

"Because you clearly need it in more ways than one." Jasper starts working his way up.

Hendrik decides to stay quiet for now. He closes his eyes and focuses on the feeling of the bristles softly brushing against his scalp. Jasper's being… surprisingly gentle, considering how much he hates Hendrik. Could it be…? No. Jasper made it very clear he didn't love Hendrik when he sent that witch after him so long ago.

"Dwelling is an ugly look on you." Jasper brings up.

Hendrik mutters under his breath. Jasper switches to a different section of Hendrik's hair. He softly goes through Hendrik's hair, occasionally getting his comb caught on a nasty tangle.

"What did you do to your hair?" Jasper whispers to himself.

"I stopped maintaining it." Hendrik has to reply.

"Clearly, if the state of your hair was anything to go by." Jasper runs his fingers through the section he just combed. "Now see, this is much better. Your hair is clean, and the parts I combed are nice and smooth. It's almost passably decent now."

Hendrik feels his hair. Right away, he can tell that it's the softest it's ever been in months. It's not as soft as before the Fall, when Hendrik was able to regularly wash his hair, and had Jasper to help, but even still, his hair texture is easy on his bare hands.

Jasper starts working on the last section of Hendrik's hair. Hendrik lets his hands drop to allow Jasper to keep brushing. Jasper takes extra care with a particularly troublesome knot, managing not to hurt Hendrik. When Jasper reaches Hendrik's roots, he brushes a few times before running his comb through the rest of Hendrik's hair. Then, he puts his comb away and sits down again.

"So, do you feel any better?" Jasper puts his elbow on the table and leans his face on his fist.

Hendrik blinks. "What?"

"I said, do you feel any better?"

Hendrik looks at Jasper in confusion.

"Do you feel better than earlier?"

"Oh. I do." Hendrik nods, surprising himself with that answer.

"Good." Jasper smiles and picks the toast up with his free hand. "Here. Have some food."

Hendrik bites the toast a little more eagerly. He notes how the taste has improved from earlier and takes another bite. Before he knows it, he's eaten the whole thing, putting a huge grin on Jasper's face.

"How did it taste?" Jasper asks.

Hendrik wipes his mouth with his wrist. "Good."

Jasper's smile only grows wider. He grabs a fork and stabs a sausage. "Why don't you try some sausage next?"


	8. Explanation

Hendrik turns away from the fork. "I cannot eat any more."

"Come on, one last bite." Jasper keeps holding up the fork.

Hendrik sighs through his nose and eats the last of the eggs. He chews slowly, then swallows. Jasper puts the fork down and leans back.

"Would you like some juice? Or some water?" Jasper offers.

"Water."

"What's the magic word?"

"Jasper, you cannot be doing this…" Hendrik fights the urge to rub his temples.

Jasper just gives Hendrik that infuriating smirk.

"…Please." Hendrik concedes.

Jasper pours a glass of water with that same smirk on his face. "Was that so hard, dear?"

"I am not your dear."

Jasper chuckles and puts the cup down in front of Hendrik. "I will call you whatever my shriveled, blackened heart desires. Now, I think it is best if you drink it yourself. Wouldn't want to spill any water and make a mess, would we?"

Hendrik grabs the cup with both hands and downs its contents in seconds. Then, he slams his cup back down.

"Wow. You must have been parched." Jasper comments.

"I was not given water yesterday." Hendrik explains.

"Ah, that explains it." Jasper grabs the water jug and pours a little bit of water into the cup. "Have some more."

Hendrik takes care to try and drink more slowly, but he still finishes the cup off quickly.

"That will be enough for now. It is dangerous to drink too much too fast after being dehydrated." Jasper stands up. "We should check on Malachite, ensure he is not blowing up an entire room again."

"Again?" Hendrik looks at Jasper weird.

"Malachite will no doubt want to apply what he learns in the book I told him to read. It is a good sentiment, but unfortunately, when I am not around to guide him, his efforts tend to blow up in his face. Literally and metaphorically." Jasper pushes in his chair. "Well?"

Hendrik blinks.

"Stand up."

Hendrik is up before he knows it.

Jasper smirks and pushes his hair out of his face, showing a flash of scarred skin around his eye before the hair falls back into place. "Come with me." Jasper turns and walks away without checking behind.

Hendrik follows like a puppy. An unwilling, feral, fighty puppy being dragged on a leash with a choke chain. If there's one thing Hendrik isn't looking forward to, it's having to be in the same room as Malachite. He's only known him for a week, and Hendrik can't stand him, what with the way Malachite's always hitting and threatening him, in addition to always being a general dick to Hendrik.

"Do you have to bring me to see Malachite?" Hendrik whines in a neutral tone.

"I promised him I would keep an eye on you."

"I do not want to be around him."

"Malachite doesn't want to be around you either, but you both have to put up with it for now."

"Malachite is horrible."

"If it makes you feel any better, he's like that towards all humans."

"It does not."

Jasper sighs. "I will tell him to leave you alone, as long as you do the same for him."

"That is fine." Hendrik concedes.

Jasper leads Hendrik into the royal library, which has surprisingly remained intact despite the repeated attacks on the castle that forced the people of Heliodor to flee. Books of every subject and category line the shelves, which reach the ceiling that is easily dozens of feet high. Ladders line the bookshelves, enabling easy access to even the highest bookshelves. A single hocus-poker mans the checkout desk, armed with several books. When she sees Jasper, she abandons the book she was reading and sits up.

"Commander. How may I help you?" The hocus-poker glances at Hendrik for a second. If she has any thoughts about him, she doesn't voice them.

"Is Malachite here?" Jasper asks.

"I think so."

With that, Jasper turns and goes deeper into the library. Hendrik's frown, which he has kept since he realized he had to be near Malachite again, only grows deeper with each step. They round a corner, and find Malachite sitting at a table, scribbling something onto some paper, with an open book next to him. The pair approach him, Jasper loudly walking on the tile, and Hendrik walking normally. Malachite looks up at them and watches them both approach, but seems to watch Hendrik in particular. As they-

"SHIT!!!" Hendrik clutches his foot and falls over. "Shit shit shit shit shit!"

Malachite bursts out laughing.

"Shhhh!" The librarian holds a finger to her covered mouth.

Hendrik quietly curses over and over, while Malachite shuts his mouth, shaking with laughter. Jasper stands there looking at both of them.

"What did you do?" Jasper whispers as he crouches to look at Hendrik's leg.

"I... I put a…" Malachite pounds the table and wheezes.

Hendrik brings the bottom of his foot up. Stuck to his heel is a two-by-two lego piece. He peels the lego off, then glares at Malachite. Jasper shakes his head and takes the lego.

"Really, Malachite?" Jasper holds up the lego.

"What?" Malachite can't stop laughing. "He's- he's a human!"

Jasper pockets the lego and sighs. He grabs Hendrik by the shoulders and brings him to his feet, then brings him over to the table and sits down. Hendrik pulls out a chair and tries to sit too, but finds his leg muscles paralyzed.

"You may sit." Jasper says.

Hendrik's paralysis disappears, and he sits down so that he's on the opposite side of Malachite, but not directly facing him.

"What are you doing?" Jasper asks.

"Drawing the human getting lynched and burned alive." Malachite says nonchalantly.

Hendrik splutters. "Lynched?! Burned alive?!"

"Yeah. It's what you deserve." Malachite goes back to his drawing. "In fact, you deserve a lot worse than this. Like being lynched, tarred, and burned alive."

"Malachite," Jasper puts his hand on Malachite's shoulder, making him look up. "About the matter of Hendrik… we will be keeping him indefinitely."

Hendrik internally groans. He suspected Jasper wouldn't release him anytime soon.

"Why?" Malachite questions.

"Well, um, how should I put this…" Jasper thinks for a moment. "I will be keeping him for my personal amusement."

…What?!

"Uhhh…" Malachite rapidly flicks between Hendrik and Jasper. "You're not going to… uh… rape him, are you?"

Jasper reels back as if he's been burnt. "What?! No! Of course not! Even I have standards!"

Hendrik and Malachite sigh in relief at the same time.

"Thank the goddess." Hendrik mutters.

"So you're gonna use him as your torture doll?" Malachite says a little too enthusiastically.

Jasper makes a face. "No, I will not."

"…Experiment on him?"

"No."

"Then why are you keeping him around?" Malachite tilts his head a little.

Jasper clasps his hands. "I will be keeping him as a, um, a pet, of sorts."

…WHAT?!


	9. Disgruntled Knight

"You can not be serious!" Hendrik shouts.

"Shhhhhh!" The librarian loudly shushes.

"Apologies." Hendrik says quietly in response. "Jasper, please tell me you are joking."

Jasper stays quiet as Hendrik and Malachite stare at him.

"Please."

"…I am not." Jasper starts picking at his nails.

"Did you say you were… keeping the human as a pet?" Malachite hesitates to say.

"I did."

"…Don't humans make bad pets?" Malachite questions. "I mean, they're too smart, plus, they're disobedient."

"Hendrik is cursed to always obey me. And as for the intelligence, don't worry. Hendrik is denser than a sack of bricks."

"I am not!" Hendrik retorts.

"But why do you want a human pet?" Malachite asks, ignoring Hendrik.

"That… is for me to know." Jasper leans back.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just kill him?" Malachite tilts his head to the side.

"It would, but at the same time, it feels… underwhelming to simply kill him. That is why I plan to humiliate him, make him servile. I think he would be far more useful that way."

A low growl bubbles in Hendrik's throat. "You cur! I will never-!"

"Stop talking."

Hendrik's voice leaves him. Hendrik only grows more furious and starts angrily signing about how he hates Jasper and the various actions he's going to perform on Jasper's unmentionables. Jasper covers Malachite's eyes and watches with his smug smirk.

"Are you done?" Jasper asks when Hendrik's signing slows down.

Hendrik sighs and nods.

Jasper uncovers Malachite's eyes. "You may speak."

Hendrik glances at Malachite and does a double-take. "Your eyes are different colors."

True to Hendrik's word, Malachite's right eye is green, while his left is blue. "…What about it?" Malachite says, narrowing his eyes.

"…Nevermind." Hendrik looks away right as looking at Malachite's eyes starts hurting him. "What are you reading?"

"The Swordsman and The Strategist." Malachite answers, returning to his drawing.

"Did you complete the assignment?" Jasper asks Malachite. Malachite slides a piece of paper to Jasper. Jasper skims over the paper and smiles. "Excellent! How about we go into this in further detail, then put it into practice?"

"Can I check out a book first?"

"Of course."

Malachite gets up, pushes his chair in, takes the book and drawing, and walks away.

"Jasper?" Hendrik pipes up.

"Yes, dear?" Jasper focuses his attention on Hendrik.

"When you said you wanted to keep me as a pet… did you mean that metaphorically?" 

Jasper smirks. "I commissioned a beautiful white collar for you, with a matching leash."

"OH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Hendrik slams his hands on the table. "I WILL NOT BE YOUR DAMN PET!"

Moments later, something lightly whaps against the top of Hendrik's head. Hendrik looks behind him to see the librarian standing there with a cardboard tube. Then, the librarian shushes him.

"I apologize." Hendrik bows his head.

The librarian walks away. Jasper fixes Hendrik with a smug look.

"You shouldn't shout in a library, you know. You might get in trouble." Jasper pushes his hair out of his face.

"That is not the problem!" Hendrik whispershouts. "You want to keep me as a pet!"

"…And?" Jasper raises an eyebrow.

Hendrik splutters. "I am not a dog!"

Jasper laughs. "Of course you aren't." Jasper stands up. "But you'll follow at my heels anyway, like a good boy."

\-----

Jasper strides into the training room, with Hendrik following behind. Malachite looks up from his book, then marks his page and puts the book down.

"Woosh again?" Malachite asks.

Jasper nods. Malachite stands in front of a training dummy while Hendrik stands there awkwardly. Malachite casts Woosh, but it somehow lands behind him. He tries again, only for the spell to fling himself across the room. He lands on top of a weapon rack and topples it over.

"Malachite?!" Jasper runs over to Malachite.

Malachite groans. "I'm fine." He says as he gets up.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep." Malachite rubs his back.

"If you insist." Jasper takes a few steps back. "Hendrik?"

Hendrik perks up.

Jasper frees Hendrik's wrists. "You may use the equipment, but do not interfere with Malachite's training."

Hendrik immediately walks up to a punching bag and gets into a fist-fighting stance. He starts off by giving the bag a right hook, then kicking with his left leg twice. A spell goes off behind him, followed by some metallic clattering. Hendrik ignores it and continues wailing on the punching bag like it kicked his puppy.

Eventually, Hendrik works up a sweat, soaking his shirt. He drops his stance and wipes his forehead with his forearm, then peels his wet collar off his skin. Then, he realizes everything has gone quiet. Hendrik turns around and sees Jasper staring at him with his mouth open. Hendrik shifts around uncomfortably and scratches the back of his neck.

"Jasperrrr!" Malachite shouts. "You're supposed to be teaching me!"

Jasper blinks a few times. "Oh yeah. Um, work on sizz."

Hendrik spots a few bottles of water and takes one, drinks some of it, then dumps the rest over his head. He puts the bottle down and grabs some hundred pound weights, then starts weightlifting.

"Jaspeeeerrrrrrrrr! Stop staring at the human!"

Hendrik mutters something under his breath and focuses on the pleasant burn the weights give his muscles. After fifty reps with each arm, Hendrik switches workout routines. The rest of the day goes by like this, Hendrik doing arm and upper body workouts while Malachite casts spells. Eventually, Hendrik calls it quits and wipes his face with a nearby towel. He puts his weights away, then goes back to where the dummies are.

"I see you're done." Jasper comments from where he's leaning on the wall.

Hendrik drinks some water before speaking. "I am."

"Malachite finished an hour ago, in case you're wondering."

"I was not."

Jasper sighs and drops the issue. Hendrik opens a chest and, just as Hendrik remembers, spare shirts are inside. Hendrik takes one and goes into a changing room. He takes off his sweaty shirt, puts on the clean one, then walks out.

"Hold your wrists out." Jasper casually orders.

Hendrik scowls as his wrists bring themselves out. Jasper shackles them, then takes one look at Hendrik's face and tuts.

"And here I thought a workout would put you in a better mood."

"I would be in a better mood if I were not held prisoner to a man that wishes to make me a pet."

"Nasty. And after I fed you and let you use my equipment, too."

Hendrik shoots a killing glare at Jasper. "It belongs to the king, as well as the castle itself."

Jasper laughs. "Oh, sweet Henny, you're truly a fool." Jasper tucks a stray tuft of hair behind Hendrik's ear. "Don't you see? I'm the king of the castle. This," Jasper spreads his arms as he takes two steps back. "Belongs to me. But don't fret, I will allow you some things." Jasper smirks and takes Hendrik's hand.

Hendrik snatches his hand away. "You will never be king."

Jasper frowns. "Well, whether or not you believe that, you will have to acknowledge that I am the master of this castle."

"I will not. You betrayed not only Heliodor, but the whole world. I will not grant you the satisfaction."

"Oh, really?" Jasper smirks. "Say that I am the best ruler Heliodor has ever had."

"That I am the best ruler Heliodor has ever had." Right after Hendrik says that, he scowls at Jasper.

"What did I expect?" Jasper mutters. "Follow me."

"…Where are we going?" Hendrik asks.

"To the closest sitting room." Jasper answers.

They fall quiet after that. Hendrik stews in his anger and bitterness, thinking of all the ways he can decapitate Jasper's pretty head. Before he can go too deep down that rabbit hole, they enter a lounge, where Malachite is sitting on a recliner by a lit fireplace with his book next to him.

"Okay, were either of you going to tell me that you two were engaged at one point, or was I just supposed to read about that myself?" Malachite immediately says.


	10. Lasagna

Hendrik blinks. "Did you only find out now?"

"Yes!" Malachite balls his fists and swings his arms. "No one told me about it, so I had to read it in 'The Swordsman and The Strategist' and have literally everyone act like I was supposed to find out months ago!"

"But now you know." Jasper takes the last seat, sitting across from Malachite, leaving Hendrik awkwardly standing.

Malachite stares at Hendrik for several long moments before speaking. "Are you keeping him alive because you still love him?"

"What?! No!" Jasper scoffs. "Of course not! I hate him!"

Hendrik's heart sinks a little. He sighs and looks away for a moment before returning his attention to the conversation, trying and failing to ignore the pain in his chest.

"In any case, this changes nothing." Jasper continues. "Hendrik-"

"This changes everything!" Malachite shouts.

Jasper sighs through his nose. "It does not. Hendrik is my hated prisoner, and he hates me as well. Isn't that right, Hendrik?"

"Yes." Hendrik mutters unconsciously.

"Yes you hate him, or yes you don't?" Malachite tilts his head to the side.

Hendrik stays quiet.

"…Human?" Malachite verbally prods.

"Anyway," Jasper interrupts. "You two must be hungry, after we forgot about lunch. How does lasagna sound?"

Hendrik perks up at the mention of food. Just the thought of being able to eat twice in one day has him salivating like crazy. And with it being lasagna… Goddess, Hendrik hasn't had that in so long. It seems almost too good to be true.

"But there's no veggies in it…" Malachite whines.

"I will eat it!" Hendrik quickly declares.

Jasper looks at Hendrik and smirks before speaking. "Do not fret, little darkspawn. I had the chefs put some vegetables in it, and steam some more for the side dish."

"With greens?!" Malachite leans so far forward he almost leaves his seat.

"With greens." Jasper confirms.

Malachite bounds up and hops on his toes. "Greens! Greens! Greens!"

Hendrik takes a step back at Malachite's sudden burst of energy and stares at him. Surely, he can't be that excited about mere vegetables… Can he?

Jasper chuckles. "Hendrik, I had the chefs put some mushrooms in the lasagna as well."

A smile creeps its way onto Hendrik's face. "Really?"

"Of course. I have not forgotten your favorite food, after all."

Hendrik looks down to hide his smile. He knows shouldn't be happy around his captors, but the feelings he thought long dead bubbling up to the surface defy him on Jasper's behalf, all thanks to Jasper merely considering Hendrik. Hendrik really should do something about these damn feelings.

Hendrik doesn't see Jasper approach until Jasper tilts Hendrik's chin slightly upwards. Jasper is looking up at Hendrik with a small but infuriating smirk. Hendrik jerks his face away.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me." Hendrik growls.

Jasper sighs. "And here I thought you would appreciate the mushrooms…" He takes a step back and shakes his head. "I will have the dinner sent here. Malachite, do not harm Hendrik." Jasper leaves the room without looking back.

Oh no. Hendrik turns to Malachite, who has stopped bouncing and is fixing Hendrik with what Hendrik thinks is an angry glare. Then, Malachite stomps on over to Hendrik. Hendrik forces himself to stand still and look at Malachite's eyebrow.

"Listen here, human-" Malachite yanks Hendrik's shirt down, forcing him to bend down. "-You might have Jasper fooled, but I won't fall for your dirty tricks!"

"Wh-what?!" Hendrik splutters, instinctively grabbing Malachite's wrists.

"I know allllll about your little plan to seduce Jasper and wrap him around your finger." Malachite's voice grows dangerously low. "You're going to take advantage of your past to try and get him to fall for you!"

"What on Erdrea are you talking about?!"

"Don't act like you don't know!"

"I do not!"

"Bullshit!"

Hendrik pries Malachite's hands off and runs to another side of the room. "I assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about!"

Malachite moves to lunge at Hendrik, but then he stops mid-step and perks his head to the side. Then, he relaxes his body, but refuses to take his gaze off Hendrik. "You got lucky this time. But I will be watching you. And when you make one mistake, one tiny little slip-up, I'll be there." Then, Malachite sits in his chair, crosses his legs, and puts his arms on the rests.

Moments later, Jasper walks in, accompanied by a servant carrying a wooden chair. He sits across from Malachite while the servant puts the chair in front of the table between them. Then, the servant walks out.

"Dinner is almost finished." Jasper tells everyone.

"Oh thank the dark lord, I'm starving!" Malachite says nonchalantly as he rubs his belly.

Hendrik does a double-take at Malachite. Malachite's acting like he wasn't just threatening Hendrik, if not about to run him through with his swords!

"…Hendrik?" Jasper says at a slightly louder volume.

Hendrik blinks a few times. "Yes?"

"I said you can sit down."

"Oh." Hendrik stares at the wooden chair for a few moments before taking a seat.

Jasper smirks and crosses his legs. "So, Hendrik, how was your workout?"

"Good." Hendrik answers automatically, staring at Malachite in shock.

"I certainly hope so. What about you, darkspawn?"

"It sucked. I didn't improve at all." Malachite mopes.

"Oh dear…" Jasper reaches over and firmly grasps Malachite's arm. "Even if you do not improve today, you are still making progress. And for that, I am proud of you." Jasper brings his arm back.

"Thank you." Malachite softly says.

Hendrik looks between Malachite and Jasper several times. Jasper never touched anyone so casually, not even Hendrik. Just what kind of relationship does Jasper have with Malachite…?

The door opens behind Hendrik. Hendrik turns around to see a few servants bring in the food, along with eating utensils. They set the food down on the table and uncover it, revealing a delicious lasagna, fresh out of the oven, with a bowl of hot vegetables, all of which have a mouth-watering scent.

"Will the prisoner be eating with you?" One servant asks.

Jasper glances to Hendrik before speaking. "Yes, he will."

The servant nods and puts down place settings for all three of them. "Wine, supreme commander?"

"No thank you."

A different servant places a jug of water on the table, and then the servants all leave the room. Malachite dumps a ton of vegetables onto his plate while Jasper cuts the lasagna and serves all three of them. Hendrik digs in immediately, shovelling food into his mouth as fast as he can. Malachite turns away from Hendrik, keeps an arm around his plate, and fiddles with his scarf until it's low enough for him to eat, then eats as fast as Hendrik.

"How does it taste?" Jasper asks, cutting his food with his fork before eating it.

"Goh." Hendrik says through a mouthful of tasty lasagna.

Jasper smirks and continues eating. When Hendrik and Malachite finish their plates, Jasper leans forward and grabs the serving utensils. "More lasagna?"

"Yes." Hendrik says almost too quickly.

"Nah." Malachite shrugs, not looking at either of them.

"As you wish." Jasper cuts some lasagna and puts it on Hendrik's plate.

Malachite turns his head and watches the movement. His lowered scarf reveals several dark scars on his cheekbone, and a balding patch on the side of his head. Malachite makes eye contact with Hendrik and shoves his scarf back up.

"Hey, Jasper? Can I talk to you alone?" Malachite brings up.


	11. Lance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ch has malachites trauma being set off. he doesnt have a panic attack, but he does cry

"Do you mean right now?" Jasper asks.

"Yeah."

Jasper sighs and stands up. "Guards!" Jasper summons two armored guards. "Watch Hendrik."

Malachite gets up and walks past the guards, keeping his ears perked in case Hendrik tries anything. He and Jasper go outside the room and shut the door behind them.

"Is something the matter?" Jasper tilts his head to the side.

Malachite nods. "I think the human's plotting something…"

"Why do you say that?" Jasper furrows his brows.

"He was… acting weird. He was smiling at you earlier, and- and he was staring at me while I had my scarf down."

"…Is that all?"

"What do you mean, is that all?" Malachite's voice raises a little in surprise.

"That is not enough for me to conclude Hendrik is plotting against us."

"He- he's a human!" Malachite cries out indignantly. "Of course he is! This only confirms it!"

"Mala," Jasper clasps Malachite's shoulders. "I know you have good reason not to trust humans, and especially not Hendrik, but seemingly strange behavior is not enough to draw any conclusions."

"But- but-!"

"Do not take this the wrong way. I know you're just looking out for me, and I truly appreciate that." Jasper squeezes Malachite's shoulders. "I will make a note of his behavior for your sake." Jasper kisses the top of Malachite's head. "How about you run along and play, now? I need to speak to Hendrik about something boring."

Malachite gulps. "But… what if the human attacks you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm made of a much tougher material than I look." Jasper smiles and lets go of Malachite. "I will be fine. You can play now."

Malachite hesitantly steps back, fiddling with his scarf. "You promise?"

"I promise." Jasper reassures him.

Malachite slowly turns and walks down the hall. He looks behind and watches Jasper re-enter the lounge. Malachite turns a corner and meets with a staircase, which he ignores in favor of getting on the guard rail and walking the full length to the next floor up. Then, he drops down from the rail and makes a beeline to his room. Malachite takes out his keys and unlocks each of the eight locks, one by one, then opens the door, steps inside, and relocks them all, including the chair door locks above and below the regular locks. Only then does Malachite allow himself to go to the toys he left on the ground and start playing.

Malachite picks up some legos and starts making… something. He's not sure what it is yet, but whatever it is, Malachite's going to make it. Malachite takes a bunch of random pieces and sticks them onto the structure, slowly building it up to be bigger and bigger. Then, Malachite holds the structure away from him. It is long, about the length from Malachite's fingertips to his elbow, with one end tapering to a point. The opposite end has several round lego pieces attached to the end to form a weak handle, and the main section comes to cup around the handle.

Malachite stares at it for several moments, then slowly puts it down. His vision blurs, and his shoulders shake, and he lets the tears fall. Malachite folds in on himself and hugs his knees as he starts sobbing. He has no idea how long he sits there staring at the lego object and crying, but he cries for so long that his throat feels like it's clenching down on a wet, miserable, familiar feeling deep inside, and his head pounds from dehydration. A soft knocking makes Malachite lift his head up.

"Can I come in?" Jasper's voice resounds, bringing a little comfort with it.

Malachite runs to the door and fumbles with the locks, trying to unlock them as fast as he can. As soon as he unlocks the last one, he swings open the door and lunges forward, tackling Jasper and sending them both tumbling to the ground. Jasper lands with a dull thud and an 'oof'. Malachite ends up on top, holding Jasper in a death grip as he hides his face in Jasper's shoulder. Jasper pushes himself upright and wraps an arm around Malachite.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asks, keeping Malachite close.

Malachite sniffles and points behind himself. Jasper hugs Malachite with both arms and squeezes.

"Hendrik, go to the bathroom and start getting ready for bed. Guards, escort Hendrik." Jasper quietly orders, causing several armored boots to Malachite's left to approach.

"Come on, you heard him." A soldier says.

"Actually, I did not." The human says in response.

"He said to the bathroom." 

The soldier… pushes the human? Hits him? Whatever it is, it's enough to make him start walking. Malachite doesn't want to pay attention to where he goes, just focuses on Jasper's slow, steady heartbeat. Jasper rubs Malachite's back and kisses the top of his head.

"Do you want to go back in your room?" Jasper mutters into Malachite's thin hair.

"Yes." Malachite chokes out.

Jasper brings his hands under Malachite's legs and stands up. Malachite clings to him as Jasper walks into Malachite's room and shuts the door with his foot. Then, Jasper sets Malachite down on the bed and crouches down to Malachite's level.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jasper clasps Malachite's arms.

Malachite shakes his head and sobs.

"Perhaps another time, then." Jasper pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and hands it to Malachite.

Malachite pulls his scarf down loudly blows his nose into the hanky, then sniffles and rubs his nostrils with the back of his glove. Jasper hugs Malachite again, gently running his hand down Malachite's hair.

"Did something happen?"

Malachite pulls away and points around Jasper to the lego structure, still laying innocently on the ground. Jasper walks away from Malachite, crouches down, and picks it up.

"Is this what you're referring to?"

Malachite nods through his tears.

"Do you want me to take it apart?"

Malachite nods.

Jasper breaks the tip off first and dumps it in the dedicated lego box, then the handle is next to go. Then, Jasper takes chunks out of the middle section and puts them away until he's left with a few measly pieces, and those go into the box as well. Jasper closes the box, then goes back to the bed and sits next to Malachite, pulling him into a hug.

"Your thoughts spiralled again, didn't they?"

"I… I don't know." Malachite meekly admits, pausing to sniffle. "I don't know what happened."

"That is alright. You can think about it later." Jasper rubs circles into Malachite's shoulder. "For now… cry it out."

"Can I… have some water?" Malachite croaks.

"Of course. Will you be fine by yourself?"

Malachite nods.

Jasper lets go of Malachite and gets up. "I will not be long. I promise."

Malachite watches Jasper leave. When Jasper shuts the door behind him, Malachite takes his scarf off and leaves it on the floor, then he lays on his side, clutches his teddy bear close to his chest, and counts the seconds until Jasper comes back.


	12. Hendrik's New Accomodations

Hendrik spits into the sink, then rinses the toothbrush off and puts it in the cup. Then, he wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve, being mindful of the cold metal shackles. He glances in the mirror, then knocks on the door.

"You done?" A disgruntled guard groans.

"Yes."

The door opens, and Hendrik is greeted by a skeleton swordsman, who keeps a sword in four hands. "Come on, move your bones. And no tricks, this time."

Hendrik sighs through his nose and steps out. The guard grabs his arm and pushes on his back, forcing Hendrik forward. Hendrik initially stumbles before regaining his balance.

"Where are we going?" Hendrik asks.

"Back to your cell."

Hendrik takes on a deep scowl and says nothing. The guard's bones clack as they walk down the hallway and round a corner, meeting with some stairs, and…

"Supreme Commander." The guard nods. "I would salute you, but…"

Jasper pushes his hair out of his face as he climbs the last step, keeping a glass of water in his other hand. "He is done?"

"Yes, sir!"

Jasper chuckles and arrogantly smirks. "I will take him from here."

The guard lets go of Hendrik, bows at the waist, then runs off. Hendrik turns his gaze to Jasper and fixes him with a murderous glare.

"Don't look at me like that. I haven't even said anything to you."

Hendrik looks away and growls. "You are keeping me prisoner!"

"Hendrik, please." Jasper says dryly. "I know your temper has been getting the better of you lately, but do try to keep it in check until you see your new room."

Hendrik blinks. He tries to look at Jasper, but he's repelled by whatever forces keep him from looking someone in the eye. "What do you mean by that?"

Jasper takes a step forward and extends his hand to Hendrik. "How about I show you?"

Hendrik manages to spare a glance at Jasper's hand before he's forced to look away. He chews on the inside of his cheek and contemplates dislocating Jasper's arm as Jasper holds his hand up for an awkwardly long time. Eventually, Jasper drops his hand with a sigh.

"If you won't take my hand, then at least look at me."

Hendrik glances at Jasper once more before he has to look away. "I… I cannot."

"…You may look at me."

Hendrik finally lets his gaze settle on Jasper. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Jasper looked… disappointed. Ugh. If anything, Jasper must be disappointed that Hendrik won't cooperate so easily. Well, Jasper's going to be disappointed a lot more often from now on.

"Follow me." Jasper curtly orders, bowing his head as he goes past Hendrik.

Hendrik glares at the back of Jasper's head as he's forced to follow at Jasper's heels. Goddess, what he wouldn't give to punch that pretty face.

"I can feel you glaring at me, you know." Jasper comments. "Are you still mad over what I said earlier?"

"Yes!" Hendrik shouts a little louder than he meant to.

Jasper stops and turns around. "Listen, I already told you I did not mean it like that. I simply meant that I would keep people from hitting you."

"You would do that by keeping me in a cage until I expire!"

"I never said that!"

"Then explain to me why the guard was taking me back to my prison cell!"

"I never told him to do so!"

"Simply not telling him to take me to my cell does not mean you will not keep me there!"

"I was taking you to your new quarters just now!" Jasper raises his voice slightly, voice growing slightly inhuman.

"They are most likely another fucking cell!" Hendrik screams, digging his nails into his palms so hard he bleeds.

"It's not a fucking cell!" Jasper roars, lips pulling back to reveal a large set of razor-sharp teeth, both top and bottom teeth at least an inch long, and snarles. A strange white glow emits from the center of Jasper's chest, dampened by his shirt.

Hendrik takes several steps back, raising his hands defensively. His back hits an end table, knocking it over and breaking the vase balanced on it. Then, all goes quiet. Hendrik and Jasper stand frozen, panting like they just ran a marathon. They stare at one another for what feels like an eternity, physically unable to break the silence. Jasper is the first to move, approaching the wall and leaning on it with his arm.

"Jas-"

"Sh!" Jasper holds up a finger. Then, he bows his head, closes his mouth and breathes. Just breathes. Several seconds pass before Jasper lifts his head up. He slowly turns his head towards Hendrik and gets off the wall. "I will show you your room. I promise it is not a cell."

Hendrik stays still, just taking in Jasper's appearance. His teeth have returned to normal, or at least, they appear to be normal now. The glowing in Jasper's chest has gone away, and now Jasper is calmly walking towards Hendrik.

"Come. It will be pleasant."

Hendrik stares at Jasper's mouth as his legs move of their own accord. Jasper only starts moving once Hendrik has joined his side, and Hendrik has no choice but to follow.

"What was that?" Hendrik tentatively asks.

"I will explain later." Jasper brushes aside. "Your new room is just ahead."

Hendrik tears his gaze away from Jasper and looks around. "Is not Malachite's room nearby?"

"It is, along with mine." Jasper opens a door and holds it open. After a moment, he gestures to inside the room.

Hendrik steps inside. The room is slightly smaller than Hendrik's old room, but it is well-lit by a few candles strategically placed around the room. A bed sits to Hendrik's immediate right, opposite to a window with iron bars bolted over it. There is a desk and chair in the corner next to a closet, with some paper, a quill, and an inkwell on the desk.

"Your old room is caved in, and I cannot spare the manpower to clear it out, so I'm afraid we cannot retrieve your stuff for the time being." Jasper explains as he walks in. "I have placed orders for the essentials, but most will not come in for a week."

"Have you at least provided clothes?" Hendrik asks.

Jasper shakes his head. "Other than what you are wearing, no. Those were the only clothes we could find that would fit you. You will get more tomorrow." Jasper turns to leave, but at the last second looks at Hendrik and points to hin. "Now, stay in this room. I need to make a delivery-" Jasper holds up his cup of water. "-real quick. I will return soon to answer any more questions." Jasper leaves, closing the door behind him.

Hendrik makes a beeline for the window and reaches for the bars. No sooner than he grabs them than is he hit with a sudden case of paralysis. Hendrik grunts as he tries to force himself to move. It's only when he gives up does the paralysis ease, allowing him to drop his hands. Hendrik sighs and sits on the bed.


	13. Scream

Hendrik sighs as the bed sinks under his weight. This damned curse is going to be the death of him at this rate. How is he supposed to escape? …Maybe he can use a catapult to launch himself out of the castle. But how could he ensure suh a thing would not kill or injure him?

Hendrik looks over to the desk. It has a few drawers built into it, one is large, and just under the tabletop. Three others are about half its size, built into the side next to where the legs are meant to go. Hendrik gets up and investigates the desk. He opens the top drawer and finds… nothing. He opens the side drawers. Nothing.

"Of course there is nothing." Hendrik mutters as he shuts the drawers. He glares at the inkwell, innocently sitting on the desk, then he sighs through his nose and sits at the desk.

Well, since Hendrik's sitting behind a desk, he might as well do some thinking, as he always did before the Fall. His thoughts drift to the Luminary, and His Majesty's orders to find him and protect him. Not that Hendrik would not do that, anyway. Protecting him is the least Hendrik could do for him after all that Hendrik's done.

Hendrik takes the quill, dips it into the inkwell, and starts doodling on the paper. The Luminary, originally named Jasper (which led to him idolizing the knight in his childhood, if Miss Amber is to be believed) by Queen Eleanor and King Irwin, may they rest in peace, and later took the name and/or alias Eleven after his initial confrontation with His Majesty, has not been confirmed to have been spotted since the Fall. Hendrik… wants to believe he is alive. Wants to believe that whatever miracle that allowed himself and His Majesty to survive also saved the Luminary, but…

Hendrik pushes those thoughts out of his mind. The Luminary is alive. He has to be. He needs to defeat Mordegon and bring light back to the land. He just needs to be found, and then everything will be fine. Until then, Hendrik needs to keep believing.

The paper before him has more ink than blank space. Hendrik pushes it aside, then puts the quill down and sits back. He needs to find the Luminary and bring him to the Last Bastion. But first, he needs to escape from Jasper's clutches.

The door opens. Hendrik shoots up and reaches for a nonexistent greatsword. Jasper steps inside and shuts the door behind him.

"So, how are you liking your new room?" Jasper starts off with.

"I do not like it. I want to go home." Hendrik outright tells Jasper.

"That's not happening." Jasper denies as he unlocks Hendrik's shackles. "Anyway, do you have any questions?"

"When will you let me go?"

"I'm not."

"How do I get out of here?"

"Oh for the love of…" Jasper says under his breath as he rolls his eyes. "I wouldn't just tell you that. You'd run away, otherwise."

"…How do I break this curse?" Hendrik directly asks.

Jasper groans. "Do you have any questions that are NOT about trying to escape?"

"No."

Jasper facepalms. "Very well, then. I'll let you be, for now." He moves to go to the door, then he turns to Hendrik with a smirk. "By the way, I was kidding about getting you a white collar."

Hendrik lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank the goddess." He mutters under his breath.

"It's actually black."

Hendrik splutters as Jasper cackles and shuts Hendrik in the room. Then, a purple sigil made of dark magic appears on the door.

"Oh, by the way," Jasper's voice is aggravatingly smug. "It's lights out now, so you can't leave the room without me or a guard accompanying you."

"You scoundrel!" Hendrik slaps his hand against the door, only for something to repel it.

"But don't worry, they'll let you out if you need it." Jasper adds, completely disregarding Hendrik.

"Let me out this instant!"

"Hm, let me think. No. I'll wait for you to calm down, instead." Jasper laughs.

"I WILL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN!"

"Don't bother. It's enchanted to be indestructable."

Hendrik takes a few steps back, then sprints and slams his shoulder into the door. An invisible barrier absorbs the force, then springs it back, knocking Hendrik back. Hendrik winces and rubs his shoulder. Then, he kicks the door to the same result. Hendrik tries the doorknob. It doesn't even budge. Hendrik punches the door. Again, he can't damage the door.

"Hey! Knock it off!" An unfamiliar voice says. "The Supreme Commander isn't even here!"

Hendrik sighs and presses his forehead to the door. Nothing is pushing him away, so he supposes that's a good sign. "When will I be allowed to leave?"

"Dunno. The Supreme Commander didn't tell me."

Hendrik takes his head away. "What is this sigil?"

"I think it's to keep the door closed."

Well, at least the guard is willing to answer Hendrik's questions. "What time is it?"

"Uh, about nine-thirty PM."

Hendrik frowns in consideration. He thanks the guard, then lays down on the bed. No point in exhausting himself staying up all night, after all. Not when Hendrik hasn't the slightest clue how to escape. Hendrik wraps the blankets around himself and closes his eyes, mentally preparing for another round of nightmares.

\-----

An ear-piercing scream cuts through the night.

Hendrik instantly shoots up, fumbling for the dagger under his pillow - and cursing when he remembers his situation. Hendrik jumps out of bed and runs to the side of the room where the screaming's loudest and presses his ear to the wall. The screaming is human, but so loud as to almost reach banshee-levels of volume, drowning out anything that could clue Hendrik in on what's happening.

Hendrik sprints to the door and tackles it, only to be knocked back. Hendrik tries again, and this time the barrier shoves him onto his ass. He gets up and pounds on the door as hard as he can, yelling to be let out.

"Stop it!" The guard shouts, barely audible over the screaming.

"Let me out!!!"

"I said stop it! You're making things worse!"

The screaming somehow becomes even louder.

"LET ME OUT!!!" Hendrik shouts so loud it strains his throat.

Someone pounds back. "Stop making noise!" Jasper orders, loud and imposing.

Hendrik tries to respond, but all that comes out of his mouth is air. His fist stops just before it hits the door. Hendrik immediately tries to break the doorknob, but he can't manage much more than a weak wiggle. 

Still, the screaming continues.

Hendrik walks, agonizingly slowly, to the window and wraps his hands around the bars. Then, he tugs as much as the curse will allow him, but it's not enough. The bars stay the same way they were.

The screams start quieting down.

Hendrik goes back to the wall and presses his ear to it again. Now, he can hear sobbing, and Jasper speaking, though he can't make out the words. Eventually, even the sobbing grows small and quiet. Hendrik takes a step back and furrows his brows. He paces back and forth, mind running wild with all the potential situations currently going on. A minute later, the purple sigil illuminating the room fades, and someone knocks on the door. A yelp comes from behind the door.

"Hendrik? Are you still inside?" Jasper asks after a moment.

Hendrik goes to the door and quietly wiggles the doorknob.

Jasper opens the door, allowing Hendrik to see him face-to-face. Jasper is carrying someone in dracky pajamas, who has their arms and legs wrapped around Jasper like a koala, and is hiding their face in Jasper's neck as they quietly hiccup. Jasper himself is wearing white sweatpants, and he has his hair down.

"Everything is under control." Jasper says immediately. "You do not need to come to the rescue." Jasper spits out, glaring at Hendrik.

Hendrik opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.

"You may make noise again."

"What happened?" Hendrik asks.

"My little darkspawn had another bad dream. They are something he unfortunately gets often." Jasper adjusts his grip on the person in his arms, showing his bare shoulder. Hendrik does not stare at that shoulder. Not at all. "In the future, if you hear Malachite screaming during the night, please ignore it. I will handle it."

Hendrik glances to the person Jasper's holding. "Is that-"

"Yes."

A moment of silence passes between them.

"Well, I believe that is all. If you have nothing else to say, then I'll put Mala back to bed." Jasper closes the door with his foot. After a moment, the purple sigil reappears.

Hendrik lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and slumps against the wall. He wipes the sweat off his brow, grimacing at the feeling it leaves on sleeves. Then, he flops facedown onto the bed, all the strength leaving his body at once.

And yet, Hendrik does not get much sleep that night.


	14. Monster

Repetitive knocking sounds jostle Hendrik from his daydreams. Hendrik groans and rubs his eyes. So much for trying to get some sleep before Jasper inevitably starts torturing Hendrik.

"Who is it?" Hendrik calls out from the bed.

"Your new king."

Ugh. So Hendrik has to face Jasper first thing in the morning as well. Maybe if he throws a pillow over his face and stays quiet, Jasper will go away.

"…Hendrik?" Jasper knocks again. "Are you listening to me?"

"I am trying not to." Hendrik says without his consent.

Jasper laughs. "Are you decent?"

"Yes."

"Come out. I unlocked the door."

Hendrik groans as his body forces him to get out of bed and step out. Jasper is standing alone, usual uniform and staff discarded in favor of a purple shirt with poofy sleeves and an unbuttoned collar with black slacks. His hair is wrapped in a towel, which rests comfortably on the top of his head. Hendrik scowls at him as soon as he sees him.

"Awww, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Jasper mockingly draws out.

"I was merely hoping that I would not have to interact with a traitorous scoundrel so early in the day." Hendrik venomously growls.

"Ouch." Jasper presses a hand to his chest with an infuriating smirk. Then, he laughs at Hendrik. At Hendrik! "Good morning to you, too."

"No."

"No?" Jasper tilts his head to the side.

"Begone from my sight, fiend." Hendrik spits out with an icy glare.

Jasper's smirk grows wider. He leans forward ever so slowly, making Hendrik shudder, though whether it's from anticipation or fear or something else entirely, even Hendrik can't say. Jasper tilts his head up and stands on his toes as he holds Hendrik's shoulder for support. Goosebumps raise on Hendrik's skin as Jasper's lips approach his cheek. Then, when Jasper's so close Hendrik can feel Jasper's breath ghost over his ear, Jasper whispers in his ear.

"No."

Jasper pulls away so fast that for a second, Hendrik doesn't register it. Hendrik blinks rapidly before coming to focus on Jasper again. Only then does he realize how fast and hard his heart is beating.

"Anyway…" Jasper breathes in. "Your new clothes have arrived in the mail, and I have sent a servant to retrieve them. They should arrive shortly."

Hendrik opens his mouth, but only a strangled gasp comes out.

"Did you catch that?" Jasper innocently asks, playing with a lock of hair that fell out.

Hendrik chokes on air.

Jasper's smile falls. "Are you alright?"

Hendrik tilts his head back and covers his face with both hands as he struggles to get his breathing under control. His entire body grow hotter and hotter as he feels Jasper's eyes all over him.

"Cease- cease your judgemental staring!" Hendrik suddenly shouts when he can't take it anymore.

Hendrik feels Jasper look away. Now, Hendrik can calm down. He practises his breathing exercises, holding his breath for three seconds, and exhaling for another three before breathing in for yet another three. When his body finally calms down, Hendrik hesitantly pries his hands away. He sees Jasper looking to the side, even blocking his view of Hendrik with his hand.

"Jasper?" Hendrik slightly leans forward to hesitantly say.

"Better?" Jasper asks without changing his position.

"Yes." Hendrik tells him.

Jasper lowers his hand and looks at Hendrik with an unreadable expression. "Do you need to freshen up?"

"I…" Hendrik's mind is brought to his still too-hot cheeks. "Suppose I do."

Jasper brings his hand to Hendrik's back and gently guides him to the bathroom, and for once, Hendrik has no complaint about it. When they reach the bathroom, Hendrik goes in of his own accord and bends over the sink. He splashes some water on his face and sighs. Then, he looks in the mirror and sees just how red he really is. He's so red that his entire face is cherry red, and his blush has even reached his ears and neck.

"Oh dear goddess…" Hendrik sighs as he slumps. He splashes more water on his face and tries to will away his blush at the same time.

Damn Jasper. Damn his aggravatingly pretty face. Damn the day Hendrik bought a ring and proposed to him. But most of all, damn Hendrik's stupid heart for clinging to these unwanted feelings. Maybe Hendrik could get rid of them somehow. Put them in a catapult and fling them into the ocean. Let the fish feed on them. They would certainly get more use out of them than Hendrik.

Hendrik splashes more water on his face, checks his reflection, and decides his pink cheeks are good enough before drying himself off with a towel that feels like sandpaper against his skin. He comes out and faces Jasper.

"Are you finished?" Jasper asks.

"Yes." Hendrik nods.

Jasper's lips quirk upward for a second before going back to normal. "I see." He is quiet for a few seconds. "Um, Malachite is waiting on us. We should…" Jasper points in the general direction of the stairs.

When Hendrik doesn't move, Jasper moves ahead and tells Hendrik to follow him. Hendrik grumbles something under his breath as he's forced to obey. They travel in silence, save for their footsteps.

"What time is it?" Hendrik asks as they go down the stairs.

"It's about eight."

Hendrik does not reply as they finish the flight of stairs. Jasper enters another room, with Hendrik following close behind. Then, Hendrik screams.

Directly across from Hendrik is a… beast? Monster? Whatever it is, it's unlike any creature Hendrik has ever seen before. It has a grotesque, misshapen head, with one side of its jaw protruding farther than the other. Its nose - or at least, what Hendrik thinks is its nose - starts off thick before tapering off into a crooked, thin point. One eye is blown wide, while the other… the other is missing, leaving a gaping hole in its face. Another hole in its lips is so large it reveals white teeth. Its brown hackles are patchy and scruffy, without a consistent length to them. Stripes litter its entire body, which is only hidden with a shirt, shorts, and gloves, but the stripes are most prominent and numerous on its face.

The beast screams so loud it shakes Hendrik to the core, then it raises its hand and flings a massive fireball at Hendrik. Hendrik is violently shoved to the side, landing on his arm. The fireball hits the side of the doorway, dissipating in a burst of flame and setting the wood on fire. Only then does Hendrik become aware of the weight on top of him.

"Shit!" Jasper shouts angrily, making Hendrik glance down at him. He silently casts a spell that extinguishes the fire, then gets off Hendrik. "Mala-!" Jasper cuts himself off. "Malachite, I understand Hendrik scared you, but please refrain from trying to murder him." Jasper says with a deliberately neutral volume.

Sobbing immediately fills the room. Jasper gasps and gets off Hendrik as fast as he can, then he runs over to… Wait a minute, that's Malachite?!

"Shhhh, everything will be alright. I'm here." Jasper hugs Malachite and kisses the top of his head. "No one's going to hurt you."

Hendrik groans as he gets up, rubbing his sore arm. He watches Jasper wipe the tears from Malachite's eyes, then Hendrik knocks on the ground. Malachite squeaks and hides his face in Jasper's chest while Jasper himself looks at Hendrik.

"That is Malachite?" Hendrik half-shouts in disbelief.

"Yes." Jasper confirms, smoothing out Malachite's hair. "He… gets scared at times. Panics." He pulls Malachite into his lap and bounces his leg, then turns to Hendrik. "By the way, are you hurt?"

"I suspect my arm will bruise." Hendrik has to say, even though he doubts the bruise will actually become bad.

"Come here. Slowly."

Hendrik stands up, then slowly approaches Jasper, keeping his eyes on Malachite the entire time. Jasper takes a medicinal herb out of his pocket and hands it over.

"Eat this." Jasper mutters as he rubs circles into Malachite's back.

Hendrik takes the medicinal herb and has to eat it. He immediately feels the hurt in his arm melt away into nothing.

"Hendrik's not going to hurt you. I've made sure of that." Jasper whispers to Malachite before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Even if he tries, I will protect you. You're safe."

"B-but- but he-" Malachite sobs, muffled. "He screamed, when he… saw me…"

"I know, but he won't hurt you. I promise. Right, Hendrik?" Jasper turns his head to look at Hendrik.

"Yes." Hendrik sits next to them while staring at Malachite and coming to the realization that those aren't stripes, those are scars!

Malachite's crying becomes a little quieter. Jasper whispers something to him, making Malachite look at his face. Malachite's face is red and covered in tears and snot, and his green eye is missing. Jasper takes out a handkerchief and cleans Malachite's face.

"Where's your eye and scarf?" Jasper asks.

"In my room." Malachite sniffles. "I… I forgot about the human."

"Do you want to get them?"

Malachite shakes his head.

"Alright. Do you want to eat?"

Malachite nods. Jasper smiles at him as Malachite gets up.

"Jasper?" Hendrik says to get Jasper's attention.

Jasper tilts his head towards Hendrik.

"Does Malachite panic often?" Hendrik asks.

"It depends on whether or not he gets a nightmare the night before." Jasper stands up and gives his handkerchief to Malachite, who takes it and hides behind Jasper. "He usually gets those once a week." He holds Malachite with one arm as he talks. "As long as you do not sneak up on him or startle him, he shouldn't attack you." Jasper leads Malachite a few steps away before he turns to Hendrik. "Well?"

"Well what?" Hendrik doesn't move from his spot.

"Are you coming with me or not?"

"I have a choice?" Hendrik blinks in surprise.

"Actually, no." Jasper says plainly. "But I'd rather not boss you around after that close call."

Hendrik grumbles as he stands and joins. Malachite balls his fists in Jasper's shirt as Hendrik approaches. Jasper pats Malachite's back and leads both him and Hendrik away.


	15. Desperate Attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone this is probably gonna be the last ch for this fic. no ones reading this despite how much ive written, and i dont feel like writing something no one actually likes

It is… strange, seeing the way Malachite behaves. Just yesterday, Malachite was constantly threatening Hendrik, even going so far as to convince Hendrik he was going to run him through with his twin swords before Jasper arrived and prevented him from doing so. And now, Hendrik can't even look at him without Malachite flinching and hiding in Jasper's shirt.

"I caaaan't…" Malachite bawls as he curls up into a ball.

"Why not?" Jasper asks, holding a plate of food to Malachite.

"What- what if the…" Malachite can't continue any further before he starts sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh, there, there." Jasper puts the plate down and hugs Malachite.

Is this… the same Malachite as before?

Hendrik watches the scene unfold from the corner Jasper relegated him to. Hendrik hates Malachite. Has hated him since Hendrik's time in the cell, but this… this twists Hendrik's heart in the strangest of ways. He guesses he was always a sucker for sad, timid people. Hendrik never could ignore someone that was crying, after all. Even if Hendrik is bad at comforting people.

"The human, he, he pois- poisoned the food! I know it!" Malachite shouts weakly, pointing at Hendrik.

"Mala, listen to me. Hendrik hasn't had the chance to poison the food. I have been watching him since he stepped out of his room. He did not poison it. Look," Jasper lets go of Malachite to eat some food. "It's not poisoned. See?"

Malachite sniffles and wipes his nose on the back of his glove. Then, he hesitantly takes a fork with shaky hands and takes a bite. Jasper pats him on the back, then changes the topic as he starts eating too. Hendrik doesn't mind not eating right now. He's used to going days at a time without food, and besides, he had a lot to eat yesterday. It gives him time to survey the area for potential ways to escape, in any case.

"Uh, Jasper?" Malachite taps Jasper's arm after some time. "Can I get ready now?"

"I have no idea. Can you?"

Malachite groans. "_May_ I get ready now?"

"Hm, I suppose you've eaten enough. Yes you may."

Malachite gets up and walks out of the room. Then, Jasper dismisses the servants with a wave and beckons for Hendrik to come over. When Hendrik doesn't budge, Jasper sighs and verbally commands him to come to Jasper. Hendrik angrily grumbles as he's forced to stand by Jasper's side.

"You do realize I am going to feed you." Jasper points out as he stabs some food with a fork.

Hendrik eyes the fork and scowls. Is Jasper really going to hand-feed him again? Whatever the case is, Hendrik refuses to make it easy on Jasper. "I do not want to eat."

Jasper sighs. "If you wish to skip breakfast, then be my guest." Jasper exaggeratingly shrugs 

Hendrik blinks. "You are… allowing me this?"

"If you want to starve until lunch, then you are more than welcome to. But I think you would be better off allowing me to feed you." Jasper gives Hendrik that sly smirk yet again.

"I ate a lot yesterday. I will be fine."

Jasper frowns and furrows his brows. "Surely, you must be hungry now."

"I am not." Hendrik insists.

"So the smell of fresh, warm food doesn't make your mouth water?" Jasper waves the forkful of food in front of Hendrik. "It doesn't make you crave for something to eat?"

Hendrik's frown grows deeper, and he sighs through his nose. "If I eat one bite, will you stop?"

"Yes." Jasper sneers, pushing his hair out of his eye. "I want to make sure you eat today, even if it's only one bite. I don't want my new pet starving, after all."

Hendrik scowls as he opens his mouth. Jasper brings the fork into Hendrik's mouth, and Hendrik bites down. Then, Jasper brings the fork out of Hendrik's mouth and lets him chew. Hendrik does not enjoy the delicious taste. It does not make his stomach cry out for more. And Hendrik absolutely does not hope Jasper will keep feeding him.

Hendrik swallows as Jasper watches. After that, Jasper takes his pocketwatch out and takes a quck peek before putting it back and sighing.

"What is taking that servant so long?" Jasper wonders out loud. He glances back at Hendrik, then stands up. "Up."

Hendrik stands up immediately. 

"Follow me."

\-----

Hendrik follows Jasper into a large well-lit room, where five monsters linger outside a circle of glowing sigils, with Malachite kneeling in its center. Books line the back of the room, with jars of strange liquid inside.

"Is everything ready?" Jasper says to what appears to be the head of the monsters.

"Yes, sir. All that's left is to get started."

"Malachite, are you ready?" Jasper slightly raises his voice.

Malachite makes a thumbs up.

"Very well. Begin the procedure!" Jasper orders, making the monsters run to some strange machinery, the likes of which Hendrik has never seen before.

"What is going on?" Hendrik asks, keeping his eyes on Malachite.

"We're trying to turn Malachite into a monster." Jasper quietly explains. "It… hasn't been successful so far."

The sigils shine a sickening purple before forming a black dome that almost touches the ceiling.

"Why is that?" Hendrik turns his head to look at Jasper.

Jasper stays silent as the machines whir to life.

"Jasper, why has this process not been successful before?"

Jasper presses a finger to Hendrik's lips. The machines glow and spin disks on the sides closest to the dome before they blast darkness directly into the dome. Jasper prepares a ball of green magic, and as soon as a monster gives the signal, he flings it into the dome, and Malachite audibly curses and groans from within. Jasper repeats the process twice more before he stops.

The machines glow and whir for a minute more before they slow to a stop. A monster waves a hand and dispels the dome, revealing Malachite on his side, panting and drooling onto the stone floor.

"Uh… is he… alright?" If Hendrik was next to Malachite, he would've poked him with a stick, or nudged him with his foot. But since Hendrik is too far away, all he can do is look.

Jasper ignores Hendrik and steps into the circle. He sits down and sets Malachite's head on his lap, then uses a handkerchief to wipe the sweat and spit off Malachite's face. Hendrik stands at the edge of the circle and picks at his sleeves as he watches them.

"You may approach, but do not get too close to Malachite." Jasper says without looking up. "You'll scare him."

Hendrik goes to them, but keeps his distance from them and crouches down to get a better view of Malachite. "Will he…"

"He's fine." Jasper takes out a juice box, pokes the straw in, and holds it to Malachite's lips. "He just needs to rest."

"What, exactly, will happen to him now?" Hendrik questions, silently noting how Malachite appears to be drinking now.

"I'll put him to bed. As for you…" Jasper chews his lip for a moment. "You may wander around the castle for the time being, but don't go outside, and do not pick up any sharp objects."

Hendrik looks Malachite over one more time before he stands up and goes to the door. He glances back at Jasper, who is entirely focused on Malachite, before Hendrik leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.

Jasper might try to keep Hendrik from escaping, but he can't stop Hendrik from forming a plan. And he just gave Hendrik free reign to begin.


	16. Nope, Not Today

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHATS UP EVERYONE TSATU IS BACK FROM THE DEAAAADDDDDD!!!!!!! thank you to all the ppl that left such nice comments on this. it meant so much to me that i picked this fic up again. im nit sure if ill keep a regular posting schedule, but rn i am working on ch 17, so keep an eye out for that

Guards.

Guards everywhere.

Guards in every damn room, watching Hendrik's every damn move. Hendrik swears the same few ones are following him around the castle, intercepting him in every room... Actually, Hendrik wouldn't be surprised if that were the case, given the situation. Hendrik grits his teeth as he steps into the courtyard, only to find yet more guards stationed.

Hendrik barely resists the urge to punch one or all of them and takes a seat on the bench most isolated from the guards. He looks up at the purple clouds and sighs. This used to be the best spot in the castle to read. The sun would shine down on him and warm his bones as he read out loud to Jasper, and when he got too hot, he could simply scoot over into the shade and continue without losing his spot. But now, all that remains of the sky is cold darkness, chilling Hendrik's bones and slowly sapping his happiness.

Goddess, what Hendrik would do to feel sunlight on his skin one more time.

But reminiscing about the good old days won't help Hendrik. He needs to focus on forming an escape plan. From what he can tell, there is nothing that physically could stop him from climbing up, but at the same time, Hendrik cannot see any guards above him that could potentially stop him. He'd have to get higher in order to see if he could do it. As for once he's climbed the wall, he'd probably have to get a rope or ladder in order to climb down the other side. He supposes if he threw a mattress down, he could simply jump, but that seems too risky. He doesn't trust any mattress to break his fall enough, and there's the risk that he will fall hard enough to get impaled on something underneath the mattress.

But before that, how could Hendrik avoid the guards? He can't exactly try to escape during night, or what is called night, in this perpetual darkness. There's that period where he can't leave his room, if last night is the start of a pattern. Perhaps right before? But then someone might come looking for him, and if they don't find him, they'd sound the alarm.

Hendrik sighs and slaps his thigh. Planning an escape is more complicated than the books make it out to be. The protagonists would find a convenient key or nail file, break out of their cell, and run until their prison is a speck in the distance. They don't take into account obedience curses, the number of guards, or even the fleshy vulnerability of a prisoner dressed only in light cloth, if even that. Hendrik wishes they went into a little more detail so he could figure out how to stage his own escape, or at the very least, break the curse tying him to Jasper.

As if on cue, the second least person Hendrik wanted to see steps into the garden. Jasper sees Hendrik immediately, and he smiles before coming closer. Hendrik looks anywhere but him.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Jasper asks as he approaches Hendrik.

Hendrik pointedly turns his back to Jasper. Jasper sits next to him anyway, laying his staff across his lap. They sit in silence for a while, Hendrik staying still as a statue, as he doesn't trust Jasper not to open his mouth as soon as Hendrik moves.

"I have a gift for you." Jasper casually brings up.

…Nevermind. Jasper did it anyway.

"I do not want it." Hendrik says without even turning around.

"You don't even know what it is."

"I do not care. I do not want it." Hendrik reiterates.

"It- it's just clothing. It's likely the finest clothing you've seen in a long time." Jasper insists. "At the very least, look at it."

Hendrik glances behind him to see Jasper holding a red bag tied shut with a yellow ribbon tied in a bow. Hendrik immediately returns to looking at the wall. Jasper reaches around and drops the bag in Hendrik's lap. Hendrik hardly even looks at it.

"Go ahead. You may open it. It's meant for you, after all."

Hendrik gingerly presses a finger to the bag, then winces as the feel of it makes his insides shudder. Hendrik opts to untie the ribbon instead. It falls away easily, letting Hendrik see the contents of the bag. A pair of white gloves sit at the top. Hendrik takes them out and puts them on, noting how it is both friendly on his senses, and extends almost to his elbows, ending in a gold trim.

"Do you like it?" Jasper inquires, peeking around Hendrik.

"Yes." For once, Hendrik isn't enraged at having to answer Jasper's question.

"Would you like to put the rest of the outfit on?"

Hendrik frowns. "I would, but I feel as though this is a trick."

"I assure you, it's not. It's just one of your changes in clothing."

"One of?" Hendrik questions.

"I received a few other outfits for you, but I figured you would enjoy trying the nicest one first the best." Jasper noncommittally shrugs.

Hendrik reaches into the bag and pulls out a leather belt and a purple sash and looks at them curiously. "Are these part of the set?"

"Yes. They are supposed to go around your waist."

"I know how to wear sashes." Hendrik grits out as he puts them back.

Jasper sighs. "Look, I know you are tired of what you're currently wearing. If you go into a bathroom and put on what I gave you, you can wear something different."

"Fine." Hendrik shoves himself to his feet and stomps off, carrying the bag in one hand. He slams the door open and makes it halfway through the hall before registering footsteps behind him. "Do not follow me!"

"I designed AND paid for those clothes. I fully intend on seeing how they look on you." Jasper retorts as he catches up to Hendrik.

Hendrik walks into the bathroom and slams the door without a word. He leans on the door and lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He drops the bag on the floor, locks the door, then starts undressing.

\-----

Hendrik cracks the door open, peeking through the slit. When he doesn't see Jasper, Hendrik opens the door slightly more ajar.

"Are you done changing?"

Of course Jasper's still out there. Hendrik immediately shuts the door on him.

"Oh, for the love of-" Jasper grumbles. "Are you decent?"

"Yes." Hendrik says without his consent.

"Hendrik, open the door."

Hendrik opens the door as far as it will go, but not without cursing Jasper's existence. The angry expression on Jasper's face melts away when he takes in Hendrik's appearance. Hendrik is wearing an altered, beautiful version of his formal uniform. It is black, with gold trim all over the small overcoat. A black cape with a zigzagged end is clasped to Hendrik's overcoat with yellow clasps, and a purple belt with a leather belt over it is tied around Hendrik's waist, just underneath the overcoat. Red laces peek out underneath white ruffles, holding Hendrik's overcoat open to allow his next layer, a simpler but longer black coat that ends at Hendrik's knees, to show. White pants are tucked into purple socks, which extend just beyond Hendrik's brown and black boots.

"Are you done ogling me?" Hendrik crosses his arms and glares at Jasper.

Jasper steps forward and fixes Hendrik's collar, which was heavily leaning to one side. "Does it fit you?"

"Yes." Hendrik keeps cool as the close proximity makes heat rise to his face. It is due to anger. Only anger, he tells himself.

"Hmph. Why did I even ask?" Jasper proudly smirks, circling around Hendrik. "I know your measurements by heart."

"I would not know the answer." Hendrik answers honestly.

"No matter." Jasper dismisses with a wave. "Does it restrict movement?"

"One moment." Hendrik walks forward, rotating his arms in a million different ways. "They do not appear to."

"Good." Jasper's smirk only grows wider. "I must say, your outfit makes you look… handsome."

That angry heat only grows inside Hendrik. Hendrik scratches his too-warm cheek and looks away. "…Is that so?" Hendrik says quietly.

"Of course." Jasper lowers his volume, but not as much as Hendrik did. "I wanted to make you look and feel good in this outfit."

Why won't this heat in Hendrik's cheeks go away? Everything Jasper says renews it, and Hendrik can no longer deny it's entirely due to anger. He wil never admit that out loud, though. "…Thank you."

"You are becoming more friendly by the hour." Jasper mentions.

Anger fills Hendrik's being anew. "No!" Is all he can muster through the all-encompassing heat.

Jasper rolls his eyes. "Of course you start acting contrary after I give you a compliment. No matter. I have another present for you." Jasper picks a black box with a red bow up off the floor and holds it out with a smile that's far too wide.

"Oh no." 

A smile like that can only mean one thing: Jasper is up to no good. The first time Hendrik saw Jasper smile like that, it resulted in a seven-year-old Hendrik taking the blame for Jasper's disastrous prank that resulted in fifteen beards catching on fire and slime goo splattered all over one of the guest rooms due to a king slime that got scared (Hendrik doesn't like to think about what exactly that goo was).

"It won't bite you, you know." Jasper verbally prods, keeping that evil smile on his face as he reaches out and pokes Hendrik with the box.

Hendrik holds the box between two fingers and inches it out of Jasper's grasp. Then, he carefully inspects the box, looking it over for traps. When he finds none, he holds the box away from his body, tilts his head away, and slides the sleeve off. Inside the box is a strange black band with lace of the same color resting on a bed of dark red velvet.

Hendrik furrows his brows and tentatively takes the band out. Lace hangs off the bottom, attached with a black ribbon that is presumably sewn on and hangs off near the ends of the band around strange metal clasps, while in the center it is tied in a bow, with a small crystal hanging from a tiny metal circle attached to a thick metal link just below the ribbon. On the inside is a soft-looking material Hendrik cannot identify.

"Do you like it?" Jasper slightly tilts his head to the side, not dropping his smile for a second.

Hendrik tilts the band, making the crystal sparkle in the candlelight. "It, uh…" Hendrik frowns. "I do not know what this is."

"Well, I hope you start liking it, because you'll have to get used to it very soon."

The realization hits Hendrik like a troll's club

"No. Absolutely not. I refuse."


	17. Test Run

Hendrik tried to refuse. He really did. But Jasper pulled a dirty trick by invoking Hendrik's curse and forcing him to allow Jasper to put that damned collar on him.

That is how Hendrik came to be paraded around like a showhorse, but gawked at like that same showhorse sprouted a second head in the middle of its procession, shook its body, and then carried on as though nothing happened. Every single person Hendrik and Jasper have run into so far has stared at Hendrik's collar without an ounce of subtlety, making the hairs on the back of Hendrik's neck rise.

"Do not mind them." Jasper says, sensing Hendrik's discomfort. "They will get accustomed to it soon enough."

"I would feel far more comfortable with this goddess-damned collar off of my neck." Hendrik grits out. At least the collar of his jacket helps hide it.

"As I said, I will take it off at the end of the day. Now stop dragging your feet and come with me."

Hendrik grumbles something under his breath as the curse forces him to cooperate. He hates Jasper and how he keeps a metaphorical leash on Hendrik, but he hates the thought of a literal leash even more. The best Hendrik can hope for was that Jasper was bluffing about it, or that whoever made the collar forgot to send the leash. Hendrik knows the chances of either are slim, but having to think about being leashed fills him with revulsion. He would rather hope for the best possible outcome from this particular problem.

"Where are we going?" Hendrik asks.

"I need to meet with an… associate of mine. If you are good, there may be a treat in it for you." Jasper smirks and raises his brows.

"I suppose I should expect the 'treat' to be shaped like a bone and designed with dogs in mind." Hendrik scowls as he glares daggers at Jasper.

Jasper darkly chuckles. "Do not tempt me, dear. I may do it."

That got Hendrik to shut up. Jasper takes Hendrik inside his office, still decorated with white furniture, from the cushioned seats on the antique chairs and fainting couch to the very walls, solid in color except for the areas where holes were patched up. Jasper sits behind the desk and pushes his writing utensils to the side, then clasps his hands on the middle of the desk.

"Stand by my side and face the door." Jasper orders Hendrik.

Hendeik does so, but not without a mix of anger and confusion bubbling in his chest. "Am I to be involved in this meeting?"

"No. You will merely… stand there, look intimidating, and then kneel when I tell you to and stay quiet."

"Wh- who exactly are you meeting?"

Jasper holds a finger to his lips. "He will be here shortly."

True to Jasper's word, a servant does walk in eventually. "Supreme Commander." The servant salutes upon crossing the doorframe. "The Headless Honcho is here."

"Bring him in." Jasper orders almost casually.

The servant closes the door. Moments later, a headless horseman walks in, armor clattering with each movement. He furtively glances around the room, then his shield points at Hendrik comically fast as he does a double take.

"Th-that's-!" The Headless Honcho gasps.

"That," Jasper stands up to pat Hendrik's back with one hand, much to Hendrik's dismay. "Is the mighty Sir Hendrik, once valiantly fighing to protect his kind, now bound to serve me in whatever way he can. He will kill any and all beings for me. All I have to do is point him in the right direction and give the order. You would do well to remember that." Then, Jasper flashes a smile, as if he was just discussing different kinds of sweets. "Why don't you have a seat?"

The Headless Honcho rattles as he stiffly sits down in front of Jasper's desk, planting the tip of his shield/face on his lap.

"Hendrik," Jasper turns his head towards Hendrik. "Please get on your knees."

Hendrik wrinkles his nose in disgust, but complies anyway. Then, Jasper sits, crosses his legs, and puts his arms on the desk.

"Do you know why I called you in here?"

"No." The Headless Honcho replies with a slight waver in his voice.

"I believe you do." Jasper leans forward slightly, looking dead at the Headless Honcho. "After all, I was keeping my eye on that battle. The one you led."

Hendrik can't see the Headless Honcho's reaction from behind the desk. But Hendrik can hear the way he hesitates. Pauses? Thinks before speaking? Hendrik isn't sure which it is.

"Supreme Commander, I did my utmost to-"

Jasper abruptly stands up. "Save your excuses for someone who cares. Do you have any idea how many people you cost us?! How important that battle was?!"

"Sir, I can explain!"

"Mordegon will not give a fuck about any explanation you have to offer. If he finds out about this, not only will he have you whipped, as your commander I will also face corporal punishment. And that is the best case scenario."

Metallic rattling again.

"You are lucky that word of this has not spread," Jasper continues. "But if you continue failing me, I will have no choice but to turn you over to Mordegon to save my own ass."

"I swear to the dark lord, I'll never do it again." The Headless Honcho whimpers. "I'll do better. Just please don't tell Mordegon."

"Words are good and all, but I need you to back those words up with action. If I feel that you are not doing all that is physically possible to make up for that stupidly horrendous loss, there will be consequences. Pray that you never find out what they are."

"I will! I mean, I will back it up, not the consequences part!"

"Good." Jasper flashes a frosty smile. "Now, while we are here, do you have anything to report?"

The Headless Honcho takes a deep breath. "The Luminary may be alive."

"…The Luminary?" Jasper softly gasps, eyes widening slightly.

"Yes! There's rumors circulating about him. Lots of them. They all point to him being alive and well."

"Interesting…" Jasper's voice grows low, so low it sends shudders down Hendrik's spine, coiling around his insides in a vice grip. "Where, exactly, did you hear of this?"

"From my own troops!" The Headless Honcho says a little more confidently.

Jasper narrows his eyes, reaching down to slowly lift his skirts up, then letting his hand come to rest on the dagger hidden underneath. "Was this… or after…"

The words start drowning in Hendrik's ears, washed out by the pounding of his heart as he stares at the dagger. Jasper doesn't intend to use that on Hendrik… does he? But why else would Jasper keep his hand on it like he's planning to slash someone's throat? Surely, he wouldn't kill someone for providing him with intel, but then the only other person he would kill would be…

Hendrik can't breathe. Can't hear. Can barely see.

"…somewhere in… lingering…"

"These… unsubstantiated… to mention they…"

Hendrik's throat closes painfully tight, making tears spring in Hendrik's eyes as his mind runs wild with what Jasper will do to him. Jasper will surely take his time chopping chunks of flesh off of Hendrik's thighs, leaving Hendrik to slowly bleed out as Jasper relishes in his screams. Then, Jasper would violate every inch of what's left of Hendrik's body and mind, leaving him as nothing but a broken, empty doll, just like THAT nightmarish night. But unlike then, Hendrik would be forced to remember every second of it.

Something finds the top of Hendrik's head, dragging down his skull in rhythmic, repetitive motions. The unknown force breaks the dam, letting Hendrik finally cry in earnest. He trembles like a leaf as he sways, threatening to topple over and crack his head open hard enough to kill him.

"…guards will…"

Hendrik vaguely registers being brought to his feet before laying down again. Hendrik curls up into a ball and hyperventilates, desperately trying to get some air, any air at all. A pressure lingers on Hendrik's arm and hand, providing an anchor for the whirlwind of fear and anxiety tearing through Hendrik's body. A voice, soft, familiar, whispers to Hendrik in a language unknown to humankind, yet a deep, visceral part of Hendrik understands. It's as if a blockade is lifted, allowing Hendrik to count during each stage of his breathing.

In. One. Two. Three. Out. One. Two. Three. In… Out… In… Out…

"In… Out… That's it. You're doing so well." The voice speaks once again. "In… Out…"

Hendrik's pulse slows to a calm, steady beat. His eyes fall open to a blurry mess. Hendrik blinks several times, and Jasper's face comes into focus. When Jasper looks at Hendrik's face, he smiles and squeezes Hendrik's hand.

"Welcome back to the world of the living." Jasper brings his other hand up to tuck Hendrik's hair behind his cheek. "How do you feel?"

Hendrik shrinks back from Jasper's touch.

Jasper's smile falls from his face. "Um…" Jasper's eyes dart around. "Do you need a handkerchief?"

Hendrik nods. Jasper brings out an embroidered handkerchief and presses it into Hendrik's free hand. Hendrik wipes his cheeks clean, then blows his nose into the handkerchief.

"I took the collar off." Jasper picks the collar up from the ground and holds it up for Hendrik to see.

Hendrik pushes himself into a sitting position and looks around. He's on Jasper's fainting couch, with said person kneeling before him. The Headless Honcho is nowhere to be found.

"Where is…" Hendrik pinches his brows together. "That… monster…"

"I dismissed him when I saw you were having a panic attack." Jasper looks up at Hendrik and explains.

"I see." Hendrik swallows the lump in his throat. Then, he forces himself onto shaky feet and stumbles to the door.

"Dear? Where are you-"

"No." Hendrik's hand lingers on the doorknob. "Just… please. Refrain from whatever you are going to do."

Hendrik opens the door and leaves. Jasper does not follow.


	18. First Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: hendriks not over his panic attack, so hes really upset. he also dwells on the past rape

Hendrik shuts the door behind him, not bothering with the mundane lock installed. He hardly moves, only doing the bare minimum required to walk to his bed and sit down. He bends his neck, letting his hair cascade around his face, and he hiccups with the beginning of a sob.

Damn that man who decided a quick lay was worth more than Hendrik's life. No matter what Hendrik does, he can't bat away the phantoms of that unknown man's actions. And damn Jasper for keeping Hendrik in this damned cage. No matter how Jasper tries to dress it, Hendrik is Jasper's prisoner. Jasper could do anything to Hendrik, and Hendrik wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

Hendrik brings his fist up and slams it against the pillow by his side. He can't hold back the tears. They fall fat and free as Hendrik slaps his hand over his mouth. The glove muffles his sobs, but even then, they feel loud as the boom of cannons going off. He feels like a child again, hiding in the darkness so the other boys would not see his tears and give him a real reason to cry.

Weak. Pathetic. Useless. That is all Hendrik has ever been since the day that ripped Hendrik's family and country from him. Try as he might, Hendrik has never been fast enough to save everyone, never been strong enough to save himself. All Hendrik has is his training and his weapons, and both fail him when he needs them most. Hendrik doesn't deserve to call himself a knight. Never did.

A knock at his door interrupts Hendrik's spiralling thoughts. Before Hendrik can open his mouth, someone opens the door, puts something brown on the floor, then just as quickly shuts the door. Hendrik blinks the blurriness away and wipes his tears off as he approaches the gift. It's a chocolate cake laid across a porcelain plate, with a fork parallel to the cake.

Hendrik gingerly picks it up and brings it back to his bed, with sobs still wracking his body. He stares at it for a moment, trying to figure out who left this for him. Probably Jasper, he concludes. He did mention giving Hendrik a treat earlier. 

Hendrik picks the maraschino cherry out of the cake and sets it to the side. Could Jasper have poisoned this cake at some point? …No. It would be much easier to command Hendrik to perform… those actions. Besides, Hendrik imagines it would be harder to poison someone with a cake than with a drink. So with a shaky hand, Hendrik picks the fork up and stabs it into the cake.

It looks delicious. It tastes like ash.

Hendrik forces himself to swallow the single bite with the lump in his throat. He puts the plate and fork down on the nightstand, then lays on his side and curls into his pillow, not bothering to take his shoes off. He closes his eyes and falls into a fitful sleep.

\-----

Malachite rinses his gloves off under the sink, then grabs a towel and dries them off. Malachite wiggles his fingers to check for missed moisture, then when that test comes up negative, he walks out of the bathroom. He ignores the human's sniffles as he makes a beeline to Jasper's room. Malachite walks in without knocking, knowing Jasper's not doing anything except pacing around loud enough to give Malachite a headache.

"Hello, darkspawn." Jasper gives Malachite a smile that's clearly fake. "I see you're up already."

"Yeah." Malachite stretches his arms out. "Can we go over magic again?"

"But you only went through the procedure hours ago. You need to rest."

"I feel fine."

Jasper tilts his head to the side. "Are you certain of that?"

"Yep." Malachite confirms.

"No headaches? Fatigue?"

"None." Jasper's pacing hurt his head just now, but Malachite's not going to mention that.

Jasper walks up and looks him over with a curious expression. "Did you drink water?"

"Yeah."

"Hm…" Jasper strokes his chin while nibbling on his lip. "Since you feel better, I suppose we could continue your lessons today. But only simple illusion magic."

Malachite groans. "But that's boring!"

"Do not write off illusion magic. It may-"

"Save your life, yeah yeah, I know. Can you teach me literally anything else?"

"No." Jasper flat-out says. "Tomorrow, we can go over magical abilities. But today, you will learn illusion magic."

Malachite groans, knowing he isn't going to convince Jasper anytime soon. "Can I at least read ahead?"

"Of course. You don't need permission for that." Jasper gives him a small smile. "Shall we get started on your training?"

Malachite nods. Jasper grabs his staff and walks out the room, with Malachite following close behind, ready to kill anyone that dares jump out of the shadows. The human's slow breathing slowly becomes louder and louder as they get closer to his room. Then, Jasper stops in front of his door.

"Why'd we stop?" Malachite questions as he looks at the closed door.

"I need to check on Hendrik." Jasper explains. Before Malachite can complain, Jasper knocks and presses his ear to the door. "Hello? Hendrik?"

"He's asleep." Malachite tells him. Why does Jasper have to go and waste his time worrying about a stupid human? The human isn't even crying in front of Jasper. It doesn't make a lick of sense to Malachite.

"Oh…" Jasper steps away from the door and clears his throat. "I see. Very well, then." Jasper goes ahead without another word.

"…You know the human's just faking his tears, right?" Malachite brings up.

"I assure you, he is not."

"He is! He's trying to manipulate you into liking him so he can backstab you!"

Jasper sucks in a breath and turns to face Malachite. "Mala, I understand that you want to protect me. But constant… constantly believing that everything Hendrik does is to kill me somehow is unhealthy."

"You keep cuddling up to him like he's harmless! He is a HUMAN! He'll find a way to kill you!"

"As you have told me this several times."

"So why do you keep forgetting it?!"

"Because," Jasper pauses for a moment. "He is not that kind of person. I have known him since childhood. He is not the manipulative backstabber you make him out to be. And I will not listen to you insist otherwise."

"But-"

"Enough! Do you want to train or not?"

Malachite falls quiet.

Jasper takes a deep breath. "Staying here arguing will not acomplish anything. Let us move on to your training."


	19. A Little Kindness

Hendrik hadn't wanted to face anyone today. He just wanted to curl up in the sheets and sleep until a thousand years had passed and he wouldn't have to deal with any of his problems anymore. But Jasper had made him get out of bed. Made Hendrik eat with him and Malachite. And now, he's making Hendrik travel with them atop a large bird.

"Where are we going?" Malachite asks.

"Gondolia." Jasper answers.

"But… there's gonna be lots of people there. And you can't be seen there."

"There's no need to worry. Everyone will be distracted by the parade. As for me, I will stay out of sight, but I will be near you at all times." Jasper explains.

That seems to satisfy Malachite. He does not say anything in reply. Jasper turns to Hendrik and reaches towards him, but changes his mind and drops his hand.

"Hendrik?" Jasper says.

Hendrik turns his attention to Jasper. "What?"

"Are you looking forward to the parade?"

Hendrik shakes his head.

Jasper sighs. "Well, you should give it a chance. That goes for you, as well." Jasper points to Malachite.

"Why are you even bringing Hendrik along?" Malachite crosses his arms.

"Malachite, we have gone over this. You and Hendrik need to learn to tolerate one another."

Malachite is always the aggressor, Hendrik wants to point out. But Hendrik cannot find it in him to say anything about it.

"Anyway, I believe getting out and seeing new things will be good for you both." Jasper continues. "After all, you have both been cooped up at home for a while. You would have gone stir-crazy."

"…Will I have to be accompanied by Malachite for the day?" Hendrik dares to ask.

"Yes, but I shall monitor the two of you. If either of you need me, wave me down."

Hendrik and Malachite share a glance. Hendrik's stomach churns, and he tugs on his gloves. He doubts Malachite is happy about this arrangement either, which means he may take it out on Hendrik. Hendrik just hopes that they are out for so long that Malachite forgets his discontent.

The city of Gondolia comes into view, giving Hendrik a deep feeling of nausea. The bird they are riding lands just outside of the gates of the city, just far enough to dodge suspicion while also being close enough to be convenient. They all get off, and the bird takes the opportunity to flex its wings out.

Jasper hands both Hendrik and Malachite a sack of gold and a pair of noise-cancelling earmuffs. "Here. Do not spend it all at once. And Hendrik… do whatever Malachite tells you, as long as it does not conflict with what I told you to do."

Hendrik groans as he looks at Malachite, who is counting his coins. "Must I obey Malachite? You know he is out for my blood."

"As I said before, I will watch the two of you to ensure Malachite does not try anything."

Hendrik deeply frowns. This is going to be one long day.

\-----

The frown doesn't leave Hendrik's face as Malachite shoves candy into the bag he's holding open. One of the feathery paraders throw a green beaded necklace onto Hendrik's head, and Hendrik shakes his head to make the necklace settle around his neck.

"You don't have to look like I kicked your puppy, you know." Malachite comments.

"Forgive me if I do not enjoy spending time with the one who woke me up by slapping my face for a week. During which, I had a concussion."

"That's your problem, not mine." Malachite verbally shrugs as he slides a necklace onto his wrist. He shudders as a particularly muscular person in a pink mask nudges past him.

Hendrik's scowl grows deeper. Someone blasts a trumpet next to them. Malachite squeaks and jumps into Hendrik's arms.

"Sorry!" The trumpet player shouts. "Didn't mean to scare you!"

The trumpet player trots away, tooting on his instrument. Hendrik and Malachite look at each other, then Malachite clambers out of Hendrik's hold with a disgusted grunt.

"Don't fucking touch me, human."

"You were the one to jump into my arms."

"…Stop talking." Is all Malachite can say to argue against that. "And don't sign, either."

Hendrik glares daggers at Malachite as he bends down to pick the bag up.

"Good riddance." Malachite mutters as he glares at the other humans. He catches a piece of candy and tosses it in the bag.

Hendrik glances up to the rooftops. A lone figure stands at the edge of a roof, their back to the setting sun. They wave to Hendrik. Hendrik grits his teeth and focuses on the leader of the parade, dressed in a crimson and yellow outfit resembling that of a jester's, with a decorative helmet on their head and the biggest feathers Hendrik's ever seen fixed to their back.

The leader dances with twin fans as the other paraders play peppy, upbeat music. Something about the way the leader feels… familiar, but Hendrik cannot put his finger on why. Hendrik doesn't have much time to think about it before Malachite yanks on his arm and drags him away.

Hendrik opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. He stumbles over some loose stones as Malachite brings him away from the parade. He spares a glance at the parade leader and sees them looking his way. Malachite takes him into an alley and shoves him away.

"Candy. Now."

Hendrik has no choice but to open the bag and present the candy to Malachite. Malachite takes a handful out, carelessly unwraps them, and shoves his hand into his scarf. He chews, swallows, then takes a deep breath.

"Why the fuck is he here?" Malachite whimpers.

Hendrik wants to ask who Malachite it referring to, but his voice fails him. Malachite tilts his head forward. Hendrik takes the earmuffs off and hears Malachite crying. Hendrik furrows his brows and sits next to Malachite. Malachite's breathing speeds up, creating wet choking sounds. Hendrik carefully moves the scarf away from his face, but it does not help.

Malachite presses his face into his knees and sobs. Hendrik sighs and holds the bag out to Malachite. Malachite takes a piece of candy out without looking and rolls it between his fingers. Hendrik chews the inside of his cheek and digs around in the bag until he finds a rubber duck. When he squeezes it, it lets out a squeak. Hendrik holds it in front of Malachite and rapidly squeaks it. Malachite looks up at it. Then, he lets out a deep breath through his nose.

Malachite takes the duck and squeaks it, giggling at it through his tears. Hendrik can see the corner of his eye crinkle. Malachite sees Hendrik looking at him, and his eyes return to normal.

"Why," Malachite swallows and rubs his eye. "Why did you… comfort me?"

Hendrik purses his lips and looks away. Eventually, he shrugs.

Malachite sniffles. He takes a handkerchief out and blows his nose on it, then folds it up and puts it back in his pocket. "I saw someone. Someone truly evil."


	20. Meeting That (Special) Someone

Even when Malachite and Hendrik sat down in front of a stall, Malachite refused to elaborate on what he said. Hendrik would try to ask what Malachite was talking about, but the curse keeps Hendrik's voice in a vice grip. He resigns himself to reading the menu and worry about what he'll order.

Malachite mumbles something to the stallkeeper.

"You need to speak up, boy." The stallkeeper tells him.

"D-do you…" Malachite swallows and rapidly blinks. "Have… hhhhave anything… s-s-simple?"

"Uh, we have chicken tenders and fries. You want it?"

Malachite nods, then raises his scarf up to cover his whole face.

"And you?" The stallkeeper turns to Hendrik.

Hendrik turns the menu to the stallkeeper and points to the spaghetti carbonara, then to the optional mushroom toppings.

The stallkeeper takes the menus away and starts preparing their meals. Malachite trembles in his seat, refusing to take a peek. Hendrik would hug him, but he cannot. The curse stops him before he can even try.

"You're… you're a… stupid." Malachite sounds as though he's about to cry. "Hate you."

Hendrik sighs. So much for hoping Malachite would be nicer to him.

"Ugly. Stupid. Pathetic. Coward." Malachite's voice cracks. "Fuck… why the hell am I like this?"

Hendrik blinks. Was Malachite talking about himself?

"Can't even…" Malachite slams his fist on the counter. He hunches his back and hiccups.

Hendrik watches Malachite start crying again. He tries reaching out to rub Malachite's shoulder, but he simply cannot move his arm. Hendrik thinks for a moment. He cannot touch Malachite, but perhaps he could… bring his hand near Malachite without touching him. Hendrik tentatively extends his hand towards Malachite and holds it above Malachite's.

Malachite brings his scarf down just low enough to let him see. When he realizes the situation, he chuckles and wipes his eyes. "You look so stupid like that."

Hendrik frowns and takes his hand away.

"But, uh…" Malachite clears his throat. "Honestly, its not the stupidest thing I've ever seen a human do."

Hendrik stares at Malachite.

"What?"

Hendrik raises his open hand and moves it in a circle towards Malachite.

Malachite sighs and starts picking at the counter. "One time, when I was out scouting, I caught two humans arguing, and one of them set their shoes on fire… while they were wearing them. From what I saw, it didn't end well." Malachite laughs a little.

Hendrik remembers that incident very well. A former noble had gotten into a fight about how he was more important than every other civilian, so he shouldn't have to do any chores. Long story short, he had to go to the camp doctor and spend the next few weeks in the hospital. After he was released, he still had to do chores. But the fact that Malachite knows of such an incident deeply disturbs Hendrik.

"Anyway," Malachite leans back. "Humans are stupid. All of them. They-"

"Food's ready!" The stallkeeper sets the plates down in front of them.

Malachite shrieks and falls off his chair. He lands on the tiles in a heap.

"Are you ok?" The stallkeeper asks.

Hendrik reaches towards Malachite. Malachite bats Hendrik's hand away and gets up, cursing under his breath. He gets his gold out, then slams the required amount on the counter. Hendrik scowls, then pours his money out and slides it towards the stallkeeper. The stallkeeper counts the coins, then puts them away.

"Enjoy your meal!"

"Don't tell me what to do." Malachite grumbles as he grabs the ketchup and pours it across his chicken tenders and fries in side-to-side motions, horrifying everyone around him. An old lady even faints at the monstrosity Malachite just created.

Hendrik does his best to ignore the unspeakable crime Malachite has committed and start eating his pasta. It's of fine quality, as Hendrik has come to expect from Gondolia. And the mushrooms have been seared to perfection. Hendrik shoves it into his mouth with a moan, getting sauce on his beard.

"Ewwww…" Malachite groans and leans away from Hendrik.

Hendrik grins and loudly slurps his spaghetti.

"Ughhhh, you disgusting human!" Malachite moves a seat over and eats there.

Hendrik quietly laughs and keeps eating. He sees the stallkeeper looking at Malachite wih a strange expression. Hendrik glances behind and grows uneasy as he notices the parade leader from earlier on a bench across from them, sans their feathery backpiece. They have what appears to be a bottle of beer in their hand as they look at where Hendrik and Malachite are at. Probably just a coincedence, but Hendrik doesn't like it nonetheless.

"Would you two like a free refill?" The stallkeeper asks.

Malachite hesitates, then nods, exaggerating his head movement. The stallkeeper pours more lemonade into his glass. Malachite takes the glass and lifts it to his mouth, only for his scarf to block the glass. Malachite tilts the glass and spills a significant portion of the lemonade onto his scarf and shirt. Malachite doesn't realize this until its too late, when half of his shirt gets soaked through. Malachite yanks his glass away and incredulously looks at the mess of his shirt. His eyes grow so wide that his green eye pops out onto his lap.

"W-what is this?!" Malachite splutters, patting the wet spots. "Did you…?" Malachite looks right at Hendrik. Before Hendrik could possibly answer, even if he were allowed to, Malachite scoffs and throws his arms up. "You fucking asshole! I hate you!"

Malachite grabs his eye and storms off without a word. Hendrik and the stallkeeper share a glance. Then, Hendrik starts eating again.

"What's his problem?" The stallkeeper asks.

Hendrik shrugs. Soon after, someone approaches the stall. Hendrik tenses his shoulders and turns to look, only to see the parade leader walking up.

"Are you ok, honey?" The parade leader asks Hendrik.

Hendrik nods.

"Do you mind if I sit with you for a little while?" The parade leader tilts their head and smiles.

Hendrik stays still. He hates these kinds of questions. How would the other person interpret a yes, or a no? Hendrik has seen both taken as consent. After a minute, Hendrik shakes his head no.

The parade leader sits down opposite of where Malachite was. They cross their legs and take off their helmet, shaking their black hair out like the knights on the covers of cheesy romance novels. They run their hand through their hair, then push their curls out of their face.

"My name is Sylvando." Sylvando gives Hendrik a big smile. "But it is sometimes Sylvia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick update, my dogs not doing too well and im really worried about her, so idk if ill be able to post another ch soon. i finished ch 3 of bbb ahead of time though, so thatll be posted on saturday


	21. A Little Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> theres mentions of vomiting, but its not on-screen

Sylvando stares at Hendrik, waiting for a response that cannot come. After several awkwardly long moments, Sylvando stops and waves the stallkeeper down.

"Do you have cannoli?" Sylvando asks.

"I do."

"Wonderful!" Sylvando smiles and clasps his hands. "Two cannolis, please!"

The stallkeeper gets them out of the display and puts them before Sylvando. Sylvando pays for them, then slides one over to Hendrik.

"So, are you enjoying the little parade me and my little Soldiers of Smile are putting on?"

Hendrik nods and picks up the cannoli. He's not one for sweets, but he certainly won't turn down free food.

Sylvando's smile grows. "I am soooo so glad! We only just established our little band, so truth be told I was a little nervous. But everything is going swimmingly!"

Hendrik takes a bite.

"…Cat got your tongue, honey?"

Hendrik nods.

"Oh!" Sylvando stops smiling and sits up. "Are you sick?"

Hendrik shakes his head.

"…Did you hurt your throat?" Sylvando furrows his brows and tilts his head to the side.

Hendrik shakes his head.

Sylvando's eyes grow wide. "Are you cursed?"

Hendrik gasps. How did this stranger figure it out so fast?

Sylvando looks around, then waves to a parade participant with brown hair. They come over with a smile.

"Yeeeeesssss?" They draw out.

"Honey, can you check this man for a curse?" Sylvando asks him.

"One moment." The parader lifts his hand and fills it with holy power. He waves it near Hendrik, then he sharply inhales and pulls his hand back. "That- that is easily the strongest curse I've ever seen."

"Wait, whaaat?" Sylvando blinks.

"How did you get this curse?!" The parader grabs Hendrik's shoulders.

Hendrik reels back and shoves his hands off.

"I'm afraid he cannot talk." Sylvando informs the parader. "It is the curse."

"Oh dear…" The parader sighs.

Sylvando looks around again. "Uh, you know what? Let's go inside for a while. It looks like it is about to rain." Sylvando gets up and holds his hand out to Hendrik. After a moment, Hendrik takes it and stands up. Sylvando gives him a smile, then guides him and the parader inside a tavern.

Sylvando sits in a stall, with Hendrik sitting opposite to him and the parader next to Sylvando. Hendrik glances around, noting how there's a few people inside. It isn't likely Sylvando or the parader will try anything in this public setting, but he doesn't let down his guard. Better off safe than sorry.

"Honey?" Sylvando gets Hendrik's attention. "Is it ok if my friend performs a benediction on you?"

Hendrik nods.

"Give me your hand." The parader holds his hand out.

Hendrik puts his hand in the parader's. The parader encloses it with his other hand, closes his eyes, and mutters a prayer. His hands glow with holy light, lighting their immediate surroundings. Then, it fades, and the parader releases Hendrik's hand, heavily panting.

Hendrik tries to open his mouth, but he finds he cannot. He frowns and waits a few moments, then tries talking again to the same result.

"…Did it work?" Sylvando slightly smiles.

Hendrik shakes his head.

Sylvando's smile falls, and a deep crease etches itself between his eyebrows. He nibbles on his lip for a moment, then digs through his bag until he pulls out a red vial with gold trim and a large golden bird on the cork.

"Here, drink this, sweetie." Sylvando hands the vial to Hendrik. "A friend of mine made it to cure a muting curse a long time ago. She… left the rest with me. This was before the Fall."

Hendrik looks at Sylvando suspiciously.

"I promise it won't hurt you. I will prove it!" Sylvando takes the vial back and uncorks it. Then, he pours a few drops onto his finger and licks them off. "See?"

Hendrik still isn't sure if he trusts Sylvando, but he holds the vial to his lips and drinks all of it. Something clears up in his throat, allowing Hendrik to sigh as he puts the now-empty vial down.

"Well?" Sylvando leans forward expectantly.

"Well what?" Hendrik says without thinking. Then, his eyes grow comically wide. "I can talk?!"

Sylvando smiles. "Yes, darling."

The parader chuckles and wipes his brow. "Well, I suppose my priestly abilities are getting rusty."

Hendrik frowns. "Sylvando, did you say this drink only cures muting curses?"

"Yes?" That crease between Sylvando's brows returns.

Hendrik sighs. "I am afraid you may not have broken the curse in its entirety…"

\-----

Malachite coughs and coughs, but nothing else comes up. After one last coughing fit, Malachite keeps his head above the toilet for a few more moments. When he concludes he's done vomiting, he stands and wipes his face on some toilet paper, then throws it in the toilet. He shuts the lid, then picks his scarf up and goes to the washbasin.

As he rinses the scarf off in the washbasin, he curses the stallkeeper out for daring to threaten Malachite into ordering fried food. He must have known, for why else would he have suggested fried chicken and potatoes? And Jasper's human… he is an evil, evil bastard. All Malachite was trying to do was enjoy his drink, and yet the human made him think his scarf was down, making Malachite dump his drink all over it while trying to drink it. And all the human had to do was… look at him and… not say anything…

Okay, maybe it's not ENTIRELY the human's fault he got his scarf soaked. But he is still partly responsible for it. After all, he chose the stall. If he had chosen somewhere else to eat, then Malachite might not have to clean lemonade off his nice scarf.

When Malachite deems his scarf clean enough, he puts it back on without regard to the wet spot and walks out of the bathroom. He walks back to the stall he was at as quick as he can, only to see that the human is nowhere to be found. Malachite rapidly looks around, but he can't find the human anywhere.

"Looking for your friend?" The stallkeeper asks.

Malachite jolts and stumbles back. His hands automatically reach for his twin swords.

"He went with two of the parade guys." The stallkeeper continues. "One of them was the parade leader."

Parade… leader?

Malachite blinks his tears away. He slowly brings his hands down, feeling like he's about to vomit anew despite the lack of stomach contents. "W-w-w-w-…" Malachite internally curses. Where is his courage and rage when he needs it?! "Wwwwwhere…"

The stallkeeper raises a brow.

"NevermindI'llfindhimmyself." Malachite runs away, picking a random direction.

Malachite runs straight into a large crowd. He gulps and ducks into an alley. He pants, pulling his scarf down. He's already sweating so badly he's further soaking his scarf, along with his clothes. Malachite peeks out, then hides again.

"Dark lord damn it, where did he go?!" Malachite grumbles. He spies a few crates pushed against the wall. He climbs on top of them, then easily pulls himself onto the roof. He goes to the edge and strains his eye for light purple hair.

After several seconds of looking, Malachite concludes that Hendrik isn't in the crowd. He curses as he climbs down. He pulls his scarf back up, then runs in another direction.

"Jasper's going to kill me…" Malachite mutters as a few drops hit the top of his head.

He is about to run past a tavern when he hears an oddly familiar voice. Malachite backpedals and looks through the window, focusing his hearing to the inside of the building.

"…I have been looking for a means of escape, but so far I have been unable to overcome the curse." Is that… the human?! How is he talking?!

Malachite keeps looking, and finds Hendrik sitting in a stall with… with…

"Oh, you poor thing…" HE dares to say. "How…"

The rain picks up, drowning out their voices. Malachite's breath locks in his throat.

No. No no no no no no no no no. This is bad. How did this happen?!

No. Stay calm. Step away from the window. Don't lose control. Think.

Malachite bites his scarf for some comfort. He scans his surroundings, then finds Jasper on the rooftops, partially obscured by the heavy rain. Malachite runs to another alley, then waves to Jasper. Jasper disappears, then reappears behind Malachite with the familiar yet acrid stench associated with teleportation.

Malachite turns to Jasper and swallows the lump in his throat. "We have a situation." He says with as much stability in his voice as he can muster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good news everyone my dogs feeling better now


	22. Malachite vs Hendrik

Screaming erupts from the harbors as the ground trembles. Malachite stays hidden, watching the door. Soon enough, several fools spill from the tavern, curious about the scene unfolding. And with them, HIM. Him and his lackey and Jasper's human.

HE draws his weapon, turning to his lackey. "Get Hendrik to somewhere safe!"

"The people of Gondolia are in danger! It is my duty to protect them!" Jasper's human objects.

"There's no time! Go!"

The lackey takes the human's wrist and drags him away. The human stares at HIM for a few seconds before cooperating with the lackey and running with him. Malachite ducks out of his hiding spot and breaks into a sprint. The lackey and human don't seem to notice Malachite, too lost in their own adrenaline to pay attention to him. They run into an alley, closer to Gondolia's gates than they were before. Malachite smirks. Perfect.

As Malachite quickly approaches, he sees the lackey touch the human's hand. Malachite only has a moment to process that fact before the human looks past the lackey, straight at Malachite. The lackey turns, and Malachite draws his twin swords.

"Step away from him! Now!" Malachite points one sword at the lackey.

"Never! Hendrik told me all about you! I know you're working for the Army of Shadows!" The lackey only moves to block the human from Malachite as best he can. However, Malachite can still see Hendrik sticking his hand inside his coat. "Well, you'll have to cut me down before you get to him!" The lackey heroically declares.

"With pleasure!" Malachite grins as he charges.

The lackey barely has enough time to raise his staff before Malachite's sword crashes down on him. Malachite slides his sword off as he stabs with the other one. The lackey jumps back, Malachite's sword coming just shy of reaching him. Out of the corner of his eye, Malachite catches Hendrik running around them, right before Hendrik grabs Malachite's right hand and twists his arm away from the lackey.

Malachite yanks once, then twice, but his arm doesn't budge from Hendrik's hold. Malachite kicks at Hendrik. Hendrik quickly catches Malachite's ankle and holds it in place. Now Malachite is left on one foot, with only one arm free. Then, the lackey starts speaking, and Malachite goes limp.

An ear-piercing bang rouses Malachite from his slumber. He quickly pushes his body off the ground. When Hendrik is nowhere to be found, Malachite curses under his breath and hops to his feet. He gets out of the alley and finds deserted streets completely lacking in purple hair.

"Where the hell did you go?!" Malachite mutters as he sheathes his swords and undoes his long scarf. He throws one of the weighted ends at some rooftop railings. It securely wraps itself around a bar, and Malachite wastes no time in climbing up the stone wall.

Once Malachite reaches the roof, he unwraps his scarf and stands on the railing. Then, he holds his hand just above his good eye and leans forward. He can just make out a speck of black and purple next to a red one on the other side of town.

"That must be them." Malachite jumps off the building, landing with a roll. He uses his momentum to charge into a sprint.

He throws his scarf at another railing and practically jumps into a hurried climb. Malachite tugs his scarf free as soon as he reaches the top, then runs to the other side of the roof. Hendrik and the lackey are running to the port, clearly hoping to get to a ship and escape. Well, Malachite wouldn't have come so far in Jasper's army if he allowed anyone to escape him.

It's a simple matter to land on top of the lackey and stun him. It's even simpler to bash his skull into the stone flooring and render him unconscious. Malachite doesn't take long to stand up and redraw his swords.

"I know what you're trying to do!" Malachite points a single sword at Hendrik. "Surrender now, and I won't tell Jasper about your little escape attempt!"

"What did you do to that man?!" Hendrik shouts.

"Isn't it obvious?! I knocked him out! Now come with me!"

"I refuse to remain Jasper's prisoner!" Hendrik charges at Malachite.

Malachite dodges just in time. Hendrik stumbles over the lackey' prone form. Malachite takes this opportunity to smash the pommel of his sword into Hendrik's back. Hendrik grunts as the blow disorients him further, knocking him into the wall. He rapidly turns and grabs Malachite's other hand as it comes to strike. Then, he pushes Malachite away, running to the lackey's side. He only has enough time to cast a healing spell on the lackey before Malachite sprints at him again.

Hendrik rises to his feet and moves out of the way. Malachite only grunts and attacks again, this time with both swords. But somehow, Hendrik manages to catch both before they hit him, locking Malachite's arms in place through sheer strength.

"You know I don't wanna get in trouble with Jasper." Malachite pants. "Give up now, and I won't have to hurt you."

Blood drips from Hendrik's tight fists down Malachite's swords. "I find that hard to believe, given your treatment towards me."

"So much for ending this quickly…" Malachite suddenly headbutts Hendrik up the chin. Hendrik reels back, letting the swords slide out of his grasp.

Malachite kicks right below Hendrik's rib cage, knocking the air from his lungs. Then, he jumps onto Hendrik's shoulders and immediately kicks himself off them, landing behind Hendrik. The combination of blows leaves Hendrik unable to stand, and he falls onto his front. Malachite wastes no time in dropping his sword, then getting on top of Hendrik. He presses the tip of his sword into Hendrik's back, and Hendrik stills.

Malachite grabs his rope from his bag and moves Hendrik's wrists to his back. Malachite quickly and efficiently ties them together, then gets up and retrieves his dropped sword before turning to Hendrik again. Hendrik has already starting to stand up again. Malachite sighs and holds the edge of his sword to Hendrik's neck.

"Don't-" Malachite cuts himself off when Hendrik starts running anyway. "Damn it!" Malachite goes after him. He prepares a snooze spell in one hand, but then, he gets an idea. "Hendrik, go to sleep!"

Hendrik immediately collapses. Malachite smirks and crouches by his side. He pries Hendrik's eyelids open. As expected, Hendrik is off somewhere in dreamland. Perfect.

"Should've done that earlier." Malachite says out loud as he picks Hendrik up.

From there, it's almost too easy to bring Hendrik back to the gryphon, now situated on the largest bridge in Gondolia. Jasper waves his staff at them, but quickly relaxes.

"Up here! Quickly!" Jasper beckons for them.

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Malachite hands Hendrik to Jasper, then gets on. "Ready!"

Jasper kicks the gryphon into flight. As the gryphon flies away from the city, Malachite glances at the rapidly-shrinking people beneath him. A shock of blue hair stands out, instantly capturing Malachite's attention. Malachite can just make out that the blue-haired person is staring back at them before the gryphon goes too far away for Malachite to see any other characteristic. Malachite sighs and turns back to face the front. That human isn't worth Malachite's consideration.


	23. The Next Afternoon

Hendrik groans and rubs at his eyes as he returns to consciousness. The first thing he notices is how his mouth feels as though something crawled in it and died. He blinks away the blurriness in his vision and sits up. As soon as the room comes into focus, Hendrik's heart sinks. 

He is in his bed at Heliodor Castle, with the barred window capturing his immediate attention. Hendrik's escape attempt failed. Hendrik brings his knees to his chest and hugs them tight. After managing to tell Sylvando about his situation, he really thought he could be free again. He thought… he could see the king again. Talk to his fellow soldiers. Sit around a fire and drink a flagon of ale he scavenged.

The tears come quickly this time. Hendrik buries his face in his knees and sobs. Why is fate so cruel, to dangle Hendrik's freedom in front of him only to snatch it away just as Hendrik's fingertips brush against it? It's not fair.

"I hate you so much…" Hendrik hoarsely mumbles. He should never have played with Jasper when they first met. Should never have stayed in touch with him when they both went away to train in separate cities. Should never have bought that damned ring and proposed to Jasper all those years ago.

The tears end far too soon. Hendrik wipes at his eyes and sniffles. The crying has only exacerbated his dehydrated state, and yet Hendrik only wants to cry more. It's pathetic of him. He's supposed to be a knight of Heliodor, and yet he needs to cry like the freshly-traumatized child he was after his family was murdered and his homeland destroyed.

He grabs the jug of water left by his bedside and chugs it as fast as he can, paying no mind to the cup just next to the jug. It's only when Hendrik tilts the jug so that the opening faces down that he realizes just how thirsty he was. Hendrik puts the jug down on its side next to him and wipes the stray water from his lips and chin. Then, he bows his head and allows himself to wallow in his sadness. But no matter how hard he tries, he can't summon any more tears.

Hendrik sighs and stands up, allowing the blanket around him to fall off. If he cannot release his emotions, then he should at least work out until he forgets about them. He opens the door and immediately heads downstairs.

"Good afternoon, Hendrik." Jasper greets as soon as Hendrik reaches the last step. "You slept for quite a long time."

Hendrik storms past Jasper.

"Hendrik!" Jasper runs up to Hendrik and has to speedwalk to keep up with him. "Slow down!"

Hendrik slows to a more managable pace for Jasper, much to his chagrin. "What do you want?"

"I merely want to check on you." Now walking at a normal speed, Jasper adjusts his bangs. "After all, you slept for…" Jasper frowns as he glances at a grandfather clock. "Wow, just shy of twenty-four hours. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

"No." Hendrik automatically answers. Then, he scowls. "So now you are concerned about my wellbeing…" Hendrik grumbles.

"I merely do not want you dropping dead."

Hendrik ignores him and walks into the gym.

"Have you had something to eat?"

"No." Hendrik walks into the changing room and shuts the door on Jasper.

"Did you remember to take your testosterone?"

"No." Hendrik starts changing from what he was wearing the day before into clothes more appropriate for working out.

"I believe you should-"

Hendrik opens the door, nearly hitting Jasper in the process. He walks straight past Jasper and towards the weight-lifting equipment. However, Jasper goes in front of him and stands in his way.

"Did you at least drink water?!" (jas)

"Yes."

"Very well." Jasper sighs and stands aside, allowing Hendrik to finally reach the weights. "I shall have a servant bring you what remains of lunch."

Hendrik disregards that statement in favor of picking out hundred-pound hand weights.

\-----

Hendrik turns the shower off and dries his body off with one of the provided towels, then drapes said towel over his head as he picks the tiny jar of cream labelled "Testosterone Therapy" up. He unscrews the cap, then scoops some of the cream onto two fingers and smears them across his bare arm, doing everything in his power to avoid looking at the rest of his body. Then, he wipes his hand off, closes the jar, and dresses back into his previous clothes.

As soon as he leaves the shower room, he sees Jasper sitting at the benches with a sandwich on a plate and a goblet. Jasper silently waves Hendrik over. Hendrik goes to him and stands before him. Jasper hands Hendrik the plate and crosses his legs.

"What is in the sandwich?" Hendrik asks.

"Just ham and cheese with mayo. Now eat."

Hendrik shoves the sandwich into his mouth and devours it in seconds. He takes the goblet and drinks its contents as well. 

Jasper chuckles, earning a glare from Hendrik. "Did you even taste the sandwich?"

"Yes…?" Did Jasper do something to the sandwich?

"…Did you take the testosterone I brought down?"

"Yes."

Jasper abruptly stands, all mirth leaving his face in an instant. "Follow me."

Hendrik has no choice but to trail behind Jasper as Jasper goes out the room and through the castle. Jasper takes Hendrik past Malachite, who is hanging from the railings on the second floor by his scarf, which he unfurled to improvise a swing to sit on, with a full-faced mask to hide his scars. As soon as Jasper's back is turned to him, Malachite shoots an offensive, one-fingered gesture at Hendrik. Hendrik glares back, even as the curse forces him to keep following Jasper.

"You're dead, Hendrik!" Malachite calls out.

Hendrik shoots Malachite another glare before his changing perspective forces Malachite out of view. Jasper glances back at Hendrik for a moment before eventually stopping in front of a door. He quickly unlocks it, then holds it open.

"Enter." Jasper plainly commands.

Hendrik has no choice but to enter the lavishly-decorated bedroom. A fancy chair with armrests sits in the middle of the room, with a plate of… something on a nearby table. Whatever it is, it instantly makes Hendrik's nose wrinkle at the stench.

Jasper locks the door as soon as Hendrik is fully in the room. Then, his face turns stony. "Sit in the chair closest to you."

Hendrik sits in the chair, noting how comfortable it is. "Is there a problem?"

Jasper slowly approaches Hendrik, staring him down. "Put your hands on the armrests and keep them there."

Hendrik has to do just that. The temperature around him drops several degrees, yet Hendrik starts sweating. He gulps and tenses his body. "Wh-what are you planning?"

Jasper sighs and stands before Hendrik, looking down at him. "Malachite told me about Gondolia. You revealed information to… an extremely dangerous individual before attempting to run away with one of this individual's followers in order to escape from us."

Every muscle in Hendrik's body freezes at once.

"As such, I have no choice but to punish you for your actions." Jasper continues. "But since you had no way of knowing who this individual was, and this is your first transgression, I shall go easy on you."

Oh goddess. What is Jasper planning to do to Hendrik?


	24. Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for forcefeeding and almost throwing up

Jasper picks the plate up off the table and holds it to Hendrik's nose. "Take a good whiff of this."

Hendrik has no choice but to comply, even though the smell makes him gag and cough. It is unlike anything Hendrik has ever had the misfortune to smell, instantly bringing about the need to vomit. After a few moments of olfactory torture, Jasper brings the plate away and stirs it with a spoon.

"What on Erdrea is that?" Hendrik coughs out, drool already leaking out of his mouth.

"I haven't the faintest clue. I merely told my chefs to make the most disgusting thing they could that would not poison you." Jasper scoops up a spoonful of the 'food' and holds it to Hendrik's mouth. "Now eat."

Jasper shoves the spoon into Hendrik's open mouth. If Hendrik thought the smell was bad, this is pure torture from the deep depths of hell. It sticks to every surface of Hendrik's mouth and coats it with the goddess-awful taste of disgusting mush. And yet, Hendrik chews it for a moment before swallowing. He doesn't have a choice.

Hendrik bends his neck and gags. Saliva drips down onto his pants, staining them in small circles. Tension builds up in Hendrik's abdominal muscles. Jasper just tuts at him and shakes his head.

"Do not vomit yet. We have only just gotten started."

Another spoonful is forced into Hendrik's mouth. And again, he's forced to eat it. Hendrik's gagging only grows stronger, his urge to vomit growing painful. Another spoonful. Another. Tears flow from Hendrik's eyes, though whether it's from the gagging or the taste, he cannot be certain. Another. Another. Another. Jasper puts the plate down and wipes at Hendrik's face with a handkerchief.

"You are doing so well." Jasper smiles as he praises Hendrik. "You only have half the plate left to go."

Hendrik does not have the breath or state of mind to give a verbal response. All he can do is let Jasper tilt Hendrik's head wherever he wants. When Jasper is done wiping him down, he drops Hendrik's head, letting it loll down. Jasper gathers the plate and spoon again.

"Lift your head up."

Hendrik slowly blinks as he comes face to face with the spoon of mush. He hates it. Hates Jasper. He opens his mouth and takes the spoon. He swallows the mush as fast as he can to get the taste out of his mouth. It burns his insides as it goes down, but before Hendrik can recover from it, Jasper forces more into his mouth. Hendrik swallows. Then Jasper forces even more into his mouth. Hendrik swallows every spoonful as it comes. The gagging becomes easier to tolerate. The taste does not.

"There you go." Jasper scrapes off the bits of mush sticking to the plate with his spoon. "All you have to do is take one more bite, and your punishment will be over."

"I… I cannot…" Hendrik's voice cracks.

"Yes you can. You have already come so far. You can finish this." Jasper holds the spoon up. "Come on."

Hendrik quietly cries as he opens his mouth. Jasper slides the last of the mush onto Hendrik's tongue. Hendrik thickly swallows, aggravating his nausea one last time. Then, he coughs and drools all over himself again. Jasper puts the plate and spoon away, then rejoins Hendrik's side.

"You may get out of the chair whenever you want." Jasper reaches for Hendrik's shoulder, but pulls his hand away before he touches Hendrik.

Hendrik practially collapses out of the chair and curls up on the floor, clutching his belly with a pained expression. Jasper walks away from him, only to return, holding a cup to Hendrik's faces. Hendrik covers his mouth with his hand and turns his face away.

"It is just water, dear." Jasper explains, keeping the cup in place.

Hendrik props himself on his elbow with a groan and looks into the cup. True to Jasper's word, it does appear to be an ordinary glass of water. Hendrik reaches for it with a shaky hand and brings it to his mouth. Water spills down his chin as he takes the water into his mouth, swishing it around before swallowing.

"Have some mint as well." Jasper presses a mint leaf to Hendrik's lips. Hendrik takes it into his mouth and chews it. "There you go. Does your belly hurt?"

"Yes, but the leaf has helped." Hendrik rubs his belly as the nausea slowly quiets down.

"Perhaps being on the bed will help. May I help you onto it?"

Hendrik looks over to the bed. On one hand, Jasper might violate him if he gets on. On the other hand, he's fairly certain that staying on the floor will only leave him with an aching body, while the bed looks like it'd at least warm him up. And if that warmth soothes away Hendrik's pain… "Yes."

Jasper throws Hendrik's arm around his shoulder and wraps his own arm around Hendrik's waist. He stands with a grunt, then he and Hendrik walk over to the bed. As soon as they're at the bed, Hendrik breaks away from Jasper to get on the bed himself. Then, Hendrik curls in on himself and clutches his belly again. Jasper brings the blanket up to Hendrik's shoulders, then sits on the bed.

"Do you know why the individual you divulged our secrets to is dangerous?"

Hendrik groans. "Will I be punished again?"

"No. Not as long as you stay good for me." Jasper clasps his hands above his lap. "The reason I asked was because he, personally, has hurt Malachite in the past."

"He has?"

Jasper nods. "You see, before I met Malachite, he was travelling the world. He happened to stop in Sniflheim right as the Gold Fever hit the town. The individual I mentioned blamed Malachite for it, so he gathered a mob and…" Jasper purses his lips. "Well, you saw the scars."

Hendrik sits up and gasps. "Is that why Malachite has such an intense hatred of humans?"

"Yes. It was only by chance that I happened to be in the area. If I had found him only a few minutes later…" Jasper shudders. "Do you understand now? I could not allow you to walk away from fraternizing with him without punishing you. It could spell out Malachite's death."

Hendrik thinks about that as he lays back down. This… completely contrasts with Sylvando's behavior. The Sylvando Jasper described seems bloodthirsty and quick to blame, while the Sylvando Hendrik met was all smiles and kindness and cheer. Something doesn't add up.

"Are you certain that this individual is the same one I met?" Hendrik asks.

"Yes. Malachite told me as much."

"Is Malachite certain of this?"

"Of course he is!" Jasper throws his hands up. "He never forgot any of the faces in the mob!"

"It was a mere question!" Hendrik holds his hands before him.

Jasper sighs and adjusts his bangs. "Let us not speak any more of the topic. It will do neither of us good." He crawls over Hendrik to lay down on the empty side of the bed. "Is the bed to your liking?"

"Yes."

"Excellent." Jasper smirks as he rolls onto his side to face Hendrik.

Hendrik catches Jasper staring at him and looks away. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you would like to try something, now that we are alone, and you are not about to throw up." Jasper reaches into his pocket and pulls out… the collar. "Last time you wore this, it ended terribly. But if you wear it again, I will not show you off this time. We will both stay right here, in my bedroom, completely alone. And if you keep it on for ten minutes, I will even reward you with some chocolates." Jasper bounces the collar, making the metal parts rattle. "What do you say to that?"


	25. Confide

Hendrik leaves with a deep frown on his face, and Jasper does not stop him. He rubs at his neck as he goes downstairs, careful to keep his other hand on the railing should Malachite sneak up on him and push him down the stairs. The taste of chocolate lingers in his mouth as he makes his way to the living room. He just wants to get away from Jasper and the strange feelings from earlier.

Malachite sits upside-down on the couch, feet hanging over the back, with the large bag of candy he had collected from Gondolia on the coffee table in front of him and wrappers scattered to his side. Hendrik approaches without a word and takes a piece of flower-shaped candy from the bag, making the unopened wrappers rustle. Malachite slowly lifts his head up, then scrambles into an upright position.

"You're not dead!" Malachite gasps so dramatically it would easily fit into an over-the-top play.

"That is correct." Hendrik starts unwrapping his candy.

Malachite smacks the candy out of Hendrik's hand with the end of his scarf. "TRAITORS DON'T GET CANDY!!!!"

Hendrik winces and rubs the part of his hand that was struck. "Did you sew a rock into your scarf?"

"Special weights designed for grappling. And no, that was a tailor." Malachite swings the end back over his shoulder, making it hit the couch.

"Were you intending to cause damage?"

"Not really, but if that happened to break your weak human bones…" Malachite shrugs with his hands.

Ugh. So much for comforting Malachite in Gondolia. Hendrik picks the candh up from his lap and pops it into his mouth before Malachite can stop him.

"Spit that out! Right now!"

Hendrik swallows the candy almost completely whole, making his throat sting.

"JASPERRRRR!!!!" Malachite shouts. "HENDRIK'S EATING MY CANDY!"

"You should share it with him!" Jasper shouts back.

"BUT HE'S A TRAITOR!!!!"

"I have already punished him!"

Malachite groans and sits back. He crosses his arms and glares at Hendrik as Hendrik grins at him. Hendrik takes a chocolate next and chews slowly, savoring the rich, dark cocoa.

"I don't get it. Why didn't Jasper kill you?" Malachite whines. "You gave away a ton of information about us. Anyone else would have been thrown into the dungeons at the very least."

"I believe Jasper would be best suited to answering that question." Hendrik grabs a handful of candy and puts it on his lap.

Malachite huffs and takes some candy as well. "Ugh, really? Chili candy?" Malachite looks at a single piece of candy with visible disgust.

"I will take it." Hendrik holds his hand out. Malachite throws it at Hendrik's face. Hendrik catches it before it can hit him, then drops it in his candy pile. "Jasper mentioned you travelled across the world."

"Yeah, and what of it?"

"Have you been to Zwaardsrust?"

"Yep." Malachite slips a necklace from the bag onto his wrist.

"Did you enjoy it there?"

Malachite lets out a disgusted grunt. "Hell no. Monsters kept jumping out at me from the wheat fields. And don't even get me started on Octagonia." Malachite rips apart a wrapper. "They'll chase you out of town simply for existing."

Hendrik chews on a gummy bear as he thinks about that. "Do not hold it against them. They… the people of the world are scared."

"I'll hold things against as many people I want." Malachite holds some candy and reaches down his scarf. He chews for a minute before speaking. "I don't even know what I did to make them angry. As far as I know, I've never even been to Zwaardsrust before then."

Hendrik starts to eat another gummy bear, then stops. Something seems off about what Malachite said. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I hate humans and hold grudges against all of them." Malachite groans, rubbing his temple.

"No, I meant the last sentence."

Malachite lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. "I… I don't know how to explain that I have never physically been in a certain location before actually going to it."

For fucks sake, Hendrik's getting nowhere with this. "What did you mean by 'as far as you know'?!" He shouts a little louder than intended.

Malachite reels back, reaching for his swords.

Hendrik takes a deep breath. "What did you mean by that?" He tries again, this time managing to speak at a normal volume.

"Uh…" Malachite slowly settles down, bringing his hands back. "I meant what I said…?"

"But what…" Hendrik's eyes widen as the pieces connect inside his head. He quickly changes the question. "What did you do before embarking to travel across Erdrea?"

"…Stuff."

"What was your occupation?"

"Scout. For the Army of Darkness." Malachite tugs on his scarf.

"That was after your travels." Hendrik points out.

Malachite's eyes grow wide. "Jasper told you about that too?!"

Hendrik nods.

Malachite looks down, bringing his knees in and hugging his elbows. "…I guess he told you about how he recruited me."

"Indeed he did, but he spared me the more… gruesome details." Hendrik confirms for Malachite.

Malachite's whole body stiffens. Something pricks at Hendrik's heart at the sight. He quickly brushes the candy off of his lap, then circles the coffee table to Malachite's side, grabbing the discarded candy wrappers and dropping them on the table before sitting next to Malachite. Then, he digs through the bag until he produces three rubber duckies.

"Did you know that rubber ducks are designed to float in water?" Hendrik starts off with, squeaking one before setting it on Malachite's lap. "Certain types of rubber ducks can even squirt water through their mouths."

"…Oh." Malachite looks away.

Hendrik frowns. "Do you like ducks?"

"I don't even know what those are." Malachite mumbles.

"Hm…" Hendrik rubs his chin as he thinks. "Perhaps the library has some books on ducks."

"So you don't know either…"

"I do know what they are."

Malachite scoffs. "No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

Hendrik sighs. "Malachite."

"Yeah?"

"I… apologize. For, uh, leading you to recall such painful memories." Hendrik clears his throat and sits up. "That was not my intention."

Malachite is quiet as he drops his arms. He rapidly blinks as he looks off into the distance. "…You're the weirdest human I've ever met."

"Pardon?"

"You're acting nice after I hit and threatened you. Multiple times."

"Well…" Hendrik takes a deep breath. "You are young, and hurt. I would be lying if I claimed to not have lashed out at those around me after experiencing trauma."

"…Yep. You're definitely weird." Malachite picks a piece of candy up and eats it.

"Perhaps that is the case." Hendrik takes one of Malachite's chili candies.

"You say that as though you're the only person without a rock-related name in a country that used to be all about rocks." Malachite points a lollipop at Hendrik before lowering his scarf to stick it in his mouth.

"I am Zwaardsrustian."

"Oh, I forgot." Malachite says through the lollipop. "What does your name mean, anyway?"

"It more or less means ruler, though personally, I associate it with fairy tale heroes more due to it being the name of one such protagonist." Hendrik explains with a slight smile. "I idolized him to the point of obsession. In fact, when I decided to take on a boy's name, I specifically chose to name myself after him."

"You chose your own name too?" Malachite asks.

"Yes. It marked the beginning of my transition to boyhood." After a moment, Hendrik adds: "But you do not need to transition in order to be your desired gender. If you wish to be a certain gender, that is enough."

"Yeah, Jasper told me that when I was choosing my own name." Malachite leans on the arm rest. "In the end, I just settled on the rock I thought was prettiest and named myself after that. Jasper didn't like it, but I did, so I stuck with it." Malachite chuckles. "You should have seen the look on his face when I picked it."

"Why was he opposed to the name Malachite?" Hendrik wonders as he pulls a necklace out of the bag and starts playing with it.

"I dunno, but it was really funny." Malachite bites down on the lollipop and pulls the stick out before laughing. "Seriously, you'd think I killed his family in front of him or something."

"Only you would find humor in such a scenario."

"Hey, humans are evil." Malachite quirks an eyebrow and pops a jawbreaker into his mouth.

Hendrik frowns and eats in silence. When the taste of sugar becomes unbearable, Hendrik gets up and throws the wrappers in the trash. Then, he walks up to the door.

"Where are you going?" Malachite asks.

"I am going to my room to retire for the night." Hendrik turns the doorknob and pushes the door open. "…Good night."

Malachite doesn't say it back. Hendrik leaves without another word and returns to his room. He checks for anyone within before allowing himself to relax. He takes his coat off and shakes it out before spreading it out to put on the back of his chair. Something falls out of his coat and clatters on the ground.

Hendrik puts the coat down and crouches to pick the object up. It takes him several seconds of examining to remember what exactly it is. It is the knife that one parader gave him shortly before Malachite appeared to recapture Hendrik. Hendrik had honestly forgotten about it.

Hendrik lights a candle and further examines the knife under better lighting. It's not a military-grade knife by any means, but it is good quality for what it is. It will hold up in a fight, should the need arise. Sure, he won't be able to attack Jasper or Malachite back, but he could at least parry their attacks.

Wait a minute. Hendrik attempted to attack Malachite in Gondolia. The curse shouldn't even allow him to try, and yet that is exactly what Hendrik did. Sure, it was only one attack, but it was an attack nonetheless.

Hendrik smirks. Perhaps his escape attempt wasn't as disastrous as he thought.


	26. Post-Experiment

The cool, wet cloth on Malachite's burning forehead feels like a gift straight from the dark lord. Malachite closes his eye and mumbles a quick thank you to Jasper, who smiles before picking out the hairs that had gotten under the cloth and letting them hang to the side.

"When am I gonna be a monster?" Malachite cannot bring his voice to more than a whisper. Anything louder makes him feel as though glass shards are tearing apart his throat.

"I do not know." Jasper answers, pouring a glass of ice cold water and giving it to Malachite. "But rest assured, we will find a way to transform you. We only need to keep trying."

Malachite tears up, holding the glass without drinking it. "But… I'm tired."

"Oh! Am I keeping you awake?"

"No. I'm tired of… suffering." Malachite clarifies. "We keep doing this, and I keep feeling awful, but we never make any progress."

"You have your hearing, do you not?" Jasper takes Malachite's hand and squeezes it. "And you also managed to regrow most of your hair."

"Yeah, but…" Malachite sniffles.

"I know, little darkspawn. It was difficult for me, as well. But when it was all over with, I was a monster." Jasper elongates his teeth and smiles. "See?"

"Did it take a long time for you, too?"

Jasper takes a deep breath. "Yes. But not nearly as long as it is taking for you."

That only serves to discourage Malachite further. "Do you think we should… give up on it?"

"What?! No no no no no! One of the first lessons I taught you was to never give up, especially if things become difficult. We cannot stop now, after we have already made progress with you."

"It doesn't feel like I've made any…"

Jasper sighs and sits on the bed. "Do you remember when you first came to me, asking to become a monster?" Without waiting for Malachite to answer, Jasper continues. "You had just finished your physical therapy, so I took you out to the Manglegrove at your request in order to celebrate. We were eating lunch when you overheard a conversation about how humans could turn into monsters. You all but begged me to turn you." Jasper chuckles to himself. "Truth be told, I had already been planning to bring up the subject with you, then. But you saved me the trouble of doing so."

"So… you always wanted me to be a monster?" Malachite questions.

"Not always. But I do believe it is the best option for you." Jasper's face turns stormy. "After all, we both know how Mordegon feels about humanity…"

Malachite stays quiet for several moments as he processes the reminder. "Do you think I'll make friends after turning?"

"Perhaps. There is no guarantee they will treat you any better."

"But the human's been nice to me lately." Malachite points out.

Jasper turns to look directly at Malachite. "He is?"

"Yeah. The other day, we had a whole conversation." Malachite smiles a little. "I don't get to do that very often."

Jasper gasps. "You and Hendrik have started getting along?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised, too."

Jasper laughs and pulls Malachite into a tight hug. "You have no idea how happy this makes me! This is exactly what I wanted!"

Malachite coughs and slaps Jasper's side. Jasper immediately lets go. Malachite takes a few moments to get over his coughing fit. "For me to get along with humans?"

"No. I only intended for you to have a friendly relationship with Hendrik." Jasper lays down next to Malachite and puts the hand farthest from Malachite underneath his own head. "Speaking of Hendrik, he has been exceptionally good lately. That may be why you two have been cordial towards one another."

"I guess he hasn't been as threatening lately…" Malachite concedes with a mumble. "You think it's because you punished him?"

Jasper considers that for a few seconds. "Now that you mention it, he has behaved since then." Jasper smiles to himself. "I suppose all Hendrik needed was a little discipline."

"Mm…" Malachite grabs his teddy bear and snuggles into it.

"Anyway, I will not keep you up any longer. Get some rest." Jasper kisses Malachite's head. "And you-" Jasper points to the teddy bear. "Protect Malachite while I am gone."

Malachite giggles. "Night, dad."

Jasper stiffens. For a minute, Malachite thinks he did something wrong, but then Jasper smiles and smooths out Malachite's hair. "Goodnight, darkspawn."

\-----

Hendrik glances over his shoulder before taking the book on lockpicking off the shelf and sneaking over to a corner. He sits on a bean bag and raises his bent knees up before propping the book up on his thighs and reading. He makes it halfway through the first chapter before all of the confusing terms start to hurt his head, and another fourth of the way before he gives up and leaves the book on a nearby table. The book is clearly meant for those with prior knowledge and experience of lockpicking, neither of which Hendrik has. And it's the only book on the subject in the library.

Perhaps lockpicking is not the way. Maybe Hendrik should focus his attention on something else. Like… gathering materials… for a plan he has not even formed… Fuck, he has no idea what he's doing. Do the people in prison have this much trouble coming up with an escape plan?

Hendrik supposes he should count himself amongst those people. At least Jasper has seemed to let his guard down around Hendrik lately, allowing him to mostly roam free within the castle without his guards stalking Hendrik (but Jasper hasn't let his guard down entirely. He isn't that stupid). Still, he needs a way to go beyond the castle walls. No amount of preparation will help him if he cannot do that. Hendrik steps into the royal gardens and examines the wall.

"How do I climb you…?" Hendrik wonders out loud. He blankly stares upwards before shaking his head and stepping on a brick before grabbing another with his hands. He's not trying to leave, he tells himself. He is merely testing his climbing skills on an extremely difficult wall that is not meant for climbing.

Hendrik doesn't even make it a fourth of the way up before he tumbles to the ground.

"Shit!" Hendrik loudly curses as he props himself up on his hands. "Shit shit dammit fuck…" Hendrik casts a healing spell on himself, and the resulting magic soothes away the bruises and scrapes he obtained from his embarassing fall. At least he wasn't very high up.

The bushes rustle behind Hendrik. Hendrik whips around so fast he strains his neck, but the adrenaline suddenly pumping through his veins forces him to disregard the pain. Not a single sound can be heard. Not a single movement can be seen.

Hendrik lets out the breath he was holding in and rubs his neck. It was probably just the wind. That, and Hendrik's nerves. He stands up and gives one last glance around before taking a few steps away from the wall to get a better view, keeping his back to the bushes he is slowly approaching.

Something picks Hendrik up by the neck. Before Hendrik can react, he is spun around and shoved against the castle wall. Hendrik comes face to snarling face with a purple monster that has its large, sharp teeth bared.


	27. Monster

Hendrik kicks at the monster as hard as he can. The monster's grip on Hendrik does not slacken, even though the kick clearly knocked the wind out of it. Trying to push the monster's arms away is even less effective. All it does is make the monster push Hendrik harder, pinning him to the wall.

"Unhand me!" Hendrik keeps kicking the monster. The monster snarls and lifts Hendrik up, leaving him to clutch at the monster's wrists like a lifeline as he dangles. But still, he keeps kicking, as weak as his kicks are now.

The monster comes closer, bringing its nose to Hendrik's neck. Hendrik shudders in sheer revulsion as he lets go of one wrist to push the monster's head away. Where the hell is Jasper when you need him?!

The monster pushes back and sniffs Hendrik. Hendrik grits his teeth and retracts his body as far back as the wall will allow him. Then, the monster gently lowers Hendrik to the ground. It relaxes its whole body as it makes a closed-mouth smile, then strokes Hendrik's hair.

Hendrik blinks, too stunned by the sudden change in demeanor to fight back. The monster keeps sniffing Hendrik, nose coming to the top of Hendrik's head, where it huffs onto Hendrik's scalp before pressing its forehead to Hendrik's and rubbing against it. The scraping of horns against stone snaps Hendrik out of it, and he starts pushing the monster away again. Surprisingly, the monster does not resist him. It allows Hendrik to put some space between them and slip away from the wall into a more open space, albeit the monster keeps staring at him with its head tilted to one side.

Hendrik stares at the winged monster before him, ready to fight if need be. White fur makes its already muscular body look even larger, even as it draws its wings closer to its back and hunches its back. Long white bangs obscures half its face, while even longer hair drapes over its chest, framing a white orb in its chest that looks downright painful to breathe with.

Something clicks inside Hendrik's brain. "Jasper?"

The monster - Jasper? - gets on all fours and crawls towards Hendrik. Once he is right in front of Hendrik, he sits down just like a dog and looks up at Hendrik. That is definitely Jasper. His basic features may have changed, but his facial structure is the same.

"You…" Hendrik purses his lips. "What the fuck was that?"

Jasper whimpers. He noses Hendrik's knee and gives it a single lick.

Hendrik shudders in disgust. "What do you want?"

Jasper looks up at Hendrik, putting his chin on Hendrik's leg.

Hendrik shakes his head and walks away. "I cannot believe you had the audacity to pin me down…" He mutters under his breath. He spares a glance backwards to see Jasper trotting along behind him. Hendrik walks a bit faster, but Jasper keeps pace with him. "Why are you following me?"

Jasper doesn't say anything to that. Hendrik sighs and goes straight to the nearest couch. Fortunately, Jasper seems to lose interest at that, and he leaves the room on his own.

So much for simply climbing the wall. If Jasper knows when Hendrik tries that, then he'd surely stop Hendrik from trying it in the future. "Must I always be monitored?" Hendrik mumbles as he examines his gloves. He frowns at how dirty and scuffed they have already become. They must be poor quality. Then again, they are supposed to be for formal use, not climbing.

The door opens, and Jasper walks back in on two feet, holding a basket in one hand. He flinches at Hendrik's reflexive scowl, but approaches anyway and puts the basket by Hendrik's feet. Hendrik furrows his brows and looks through the contents. Edible mushrooms, candy, dried fruits, and some bread are in the basket.

"Is this intended for me?" Hendrik asks.

Jasper nods.

…Huh. Hendrik didn't expect any form of apology from Jasper, but here they are. "…Thank you." Hendrik is hesitant to say. He picks the mushrooms up and starts eating them one by one.

Jasper smiles and sits by Hendrik's feet, staring up at him the whole time. Hendrik would be lying if he said he were not unnerved by this, but Jasper seems content to simply watch him.

"I must ask," Hendrik brings up in-between bites. "Is this a… secondary form of yours?"

Jasper nods.

"I see." Hendrik tears a piece of bread off. "Do you want some bread?"

Jasper steps forward and opens his mouth. Hendrik pushes the bread into Jasper's mouth, and Jasper closes his mouth, chewing while smiling and making happy faces. He makes a few short, cute noises as he eats, then swallows and looks up at Hendrik expectantly. Hendrik feeds him another piece, and this time, Jasper somehow looks even more adorable while eating.

Hendrik has questioned why Jasper insisted on feeding Hendrik himself every breakfast, but now Hendrik is starting to see the appeal.

Hendrik puts the rest of the bread in his mouth as he feeds some dried fruit to Jasper, then some more. Eventually, Hendrik has to stop himself before he gives the entire basket to Jasper. After all, it's supposed to be for Hendrik.

"You look at me as though you are a dog begging for scraps." Hendrik comments as he unwraps some candy.

Jasper dramatically whimpers.

Hendrik laughs and shakes his head. "I had assumed you lost your sense of humor years ago."

Jasper puts his head in Hendrik's lap.

Hendrik decides to leave it at that. He finishes off the rest of the candy, then nudges Jasper off his lap and throws the wrappers in the trash. "I think I prefer you in this form."

Jasper chirps behind Hendrik. Not even a full second passes before Jasper wraps his arms around Hendrik's waist and picks him up like a rolled-up carpet.

"Uh…"

Jasper pays no mind to Hendrik's confusion. He just carries Hendrik away as though he weighs nothing.

"Wh-where are you taking me?" Hendrik cranes his neck to look at Jasper.

Jasper just smiles and keeps moving. He eventually comes to a stop in front of his bedroom door, where he puts Hendrik down to open the door. Then, he holds it open and looks at Hendrik expectantly. After a moment of hesitation, Hendrik steps in, and Jasper closes the door behind them.

"Is there a reason you have brought me here?" Hendrik questions.

Jasper rearranges the blankets on his bed, fluffs his pillows, then sits on the bed and pats the spot next to him.

Hendrik sighs and sits down. "For what-"

Jasper pulls Hendrik into a tight hug and rubs his forehead against Hendrik's, then bends his head to sniff Hendrik's neck. He loudly chirps into Hendrik's skin as he wraps his wings around Hendrik's entire body.

Hendrik flinches and pulls away from the embrace. Jasper immediately loosens his grip and allows Hendrik to put some distance between them. Then, Hendrik grimaces and rubs his arms. "Do not touch me as you have again."

Jasper whimpers. He pulls out a blanket and holds it out to Hendrik.

Hendrik keeps his scowl as he takes the blanket and wraps it around his shoulders. "If you perform any untoward acts towards me, you must know that I shall not simply take it. I will do everything in my power to fight back."

Jasper pushes his forehead against Hendrik's again.

…Shit. Hendrik can't stay mad. Not when Jasper is being this cute. Hendrik reaches up and runs his fingers through Jasper's hair, impossibly soft even through Hendrik's gloves. Jasper holds Hendrik's hand in place and turns his cheek into the hand. By the goddess, Hendrik wishes Jasper could stay in this form forever. Hendrik won't have to worry about his curse. He could just pet Jasper all day.

The door opens, and Hendrik yanks his hand back as though he burnt it. "Dad, I'm ready to-" Malachite, dressed in full gear, pauses as soon as he sees Hendrik. "Human." Malachite straightens up, standing with his feet shoulder-width apart with his hands behind his back. "What are you doing with Jasper?" He says while leveling a glare at Hendrik.

"We were…" Hendrik glances at Jasper. "Talking."

"Riiiight…" Malachite's glare only deepens.

Before Malachite can interrogate Hendrik any further, Jasper goes right up to Malachite and licks his face.

"J-Jasper!" Malachite shrieks and holds up his hand to block Jasper. "I'm trying to-"

Jasper scoops Malachite up and presses his forehead to Malachite's.

"Jaspeeeerrrrr!" Malachite goes bright red. "You're embarassing me!"

Jasper lets out a low laugh and brings Malachite to the bed. He gently lays Malachite down before getting into bed himself and tucking Malachite's head under his chin.

"Noooo…" Malachite turns his face away and presses his scarf against his skin. "I've slept enough…"

Jasper scratches the side of his neck. After a few moments, Hendrik catches a whiff of… something clearly emitted from Jasper. Whatever it is, it's enough to force Hendrik to blink lethargy away.

"Jaaas… the smell… isn't…" Malachite yawns and rubs his eyes. "Not… fairrrr…" Malachite props himself up on his elbows. "Human, tell him…"

In the time it takes for Hendrik to pinch his cheek, Malachite has collapsed back onto the bed. He rapidly blinks as Jasper kisses the top of his head. The sight would melt Hendrik's heart, were he not struggling to stay upright. Or if Malachite wasn't a little shit all the time.

Jasper turns to Hendrik and smiles before patting the empty space on the bed, just big enough to fit Hendrik. Goddess, it looks so comfortable. Hendrik could just… fall into it. Let Jasper cover him with warm blankets. Sleep for a million years. But no. He can't. If he falls asleep, anything could happen.

It takes all of Hendrik's willpower to stand up and shake his head. His body yearns for the blanket slipping down his arms, but he allows it to fall to the ground. Jasper whimpers and reaches for Hendrik, but Hendrik steps just out of reach. Hendrik turns his back to Jasper and makes a beeline for the washbasin, where he splashes cold water onto his face, then violently shudders as he is brought to his senses.

Jasper lets out a long, drawn-out whimper, then cuddles up to Malachite and pulls a blanket up to their shoulders. Soon, they both still, and their breathing evens out. Hendrik splashes more water onto his face to be sure, then he wipes himself off with the provided towel.

"Phew…" Hendrik blinks a few times to clear away the drowsiness. Whatever Jasper did earlier seems to be wearing off, but Hendrik covers the lower half of his face just in case.

What should Hendrik do now? He could simply leave, but… something tells him not yet. Hendrik folds the towel up and puts it back in place, hoping that was what that something inside him wanted, but that nagging feeling persists. Hendrik scratches the back of his head as he mulls it over. Then, an idea hits him. Perhaps he could search Jasper's quarters for something to help him escape! Yes, it's perfect! Jasper could be hiding something essential to Hendrik's escape! And an opportunity to rummage through his belongings just fell into Hendrik's lap!

Hendrik allows himself a smile as he quietly walks over to Jasper's desk. He slowly opens the top-most drawer, keeping his eyes on Jasper and Malachite the whole time. Especially Malachite. Hendrik takes out the office supplies within and sets them on the desk until the drawer is devoid of anything blocking the bottom.

This particular drawer has a fake bottom. Hendrik's known this fact for years, and yet he has never found a way to open it. Had he figured it out, he would have put a fake rat in it to get revenge on Jasper long ago. Then again, Jasper would have immediately figured out it was Hendrik and promptly changed the password.

"So it seems we…" Hendrik mutters under his breath. He purses his lips as he thinks. "Let us see… I know it is something Jasper loves most…"

Hendrik doesn't bother checking for a way to physically open it. There's no way to do so. He's tried.

"Is the password… fruit?"

The fake bottom stays still. Hendrik frowns.

"Fruit sandwiches?"

Again, the fake bottom stays still.

"Hendrik?"

Nothing happens.

"Darkness."

Nothing.

"Power."

Nothing.

"The piano."

Still nothing. Hendrik is starting to get sick of this.

"Think… what would Jasper set that would not cross my mind?" Hendrik quietly grits out. He glances at the bed, where Malachite lays on his side, with Jasper's protective hand on his back. Hendrik tilts his head and contemplates the scene before him.

He is almost certain that is not the password. Jasper never cared for the mineral. Went out of his way to avoid it, in fact. Besides, assuming that Jasper hasn't changed the password, the time frames do not match. He would have had this password for years. The Fall was only months ago. And yet…

"Malachite."

The fake bottom audibly pops open, and Malachite lets out a loud snort. Hendrik quickly ducks beneath the desk and prays to whatever gods might exist that Malachite does not wake up. He counts to thirty in his head, with every bone in his body shaking so badly he fears they audibly rattle. But he reaches thirty without hearing another sound. Hendrik risks a peek out. Malachite is now laying on his back, head turned towards Hendrik with his eyes shut.

Hendrik takes a moment to calm himself, then he carefully looks into the drawer. The fake bottom is propped up at an angle, with the shadow from the walls of the drawer cast over it, obscuring what is underneath. Hendrik gingerly removes the panel and puts it on the desk. 

What was once underneath the panel is several knick-knacks on top of some papers. Hendrik takes the objects out one by one and holds them to the light. First is a blue feather with white spots. Hendrik places that on the desk as well. Next is a lizard made from beads and string that Jasper made when he was a boy. After that is… a baby's pacifier? The hell?

After several moments, Hendrik decides to leave deciphering Jasper's reasoning for owning such a thing for another day and keeps looking. He grabs an unlabelled bottle full of liquid (probably poison, knowing Jasper) and, in his haste, almost drops it. One dextrous save and a heart attack later, Hendrik is back to his work. The last of the objects is… is… the ring.

Hendrik rapidly blinks away the blurriness in his vision. Every facet of that ring, from the silver metal to the shining diamond, was chosen so that Jasper would want to wear it every day, even flaunt it. And Jasper was close to tears when Hendrik got on one knee and presented it to him before all of their friends. Hendrik became the happiest man in the world when Jasper said yes to his question. Even happier when he slipped the ring onto Jasper's finger for a perfect fit.

Hendrik kisses the diamond, then wipes away his tears and puts the ring on the desk. He swallows the lump in his throat before daring to pick up the papers. Medical records are what's on top. After a brief glance, Hendrik learns that they are Malachite's. Something in Hendrik's gut disagrees with snooping through them, so Hendrik moves them to the back of the pile. The next set of papers is war strategies discussing Jasper's personal army. Might be something Hendrik should take before escaping, but for now it is not important.

A crayon drawing depicting Malachite and Jasper brings a slight smile to Hendrik's face. Underneath is an untitled paper in Sniflheimian, and Hendrik internally curses. If there is one language he is bad at, it is this one. Still, he looks it over for words he does recognize on the off chance that it could help. Destroy… magic… luminary… change?

That is all Hendrik can understand between the difficult language and Jasper's cursive handwriting. Hendrik scowls and moves the paper to the back, then smiles wide. Right before him is a packet labelled 'obedience curse'. Hendrik quickly rolls it up and slides it underneath his jacket, bringing the medical records to the top of the papers once again, then he puts the pile back, then the knick-knacks, false bottom, and office supplies, all in the same configuration they were in before.

Hendrik's smile only grows wider as he walks out into the hall, closing the door behind him. There wasn't a single point where his curse tried to stop him. And now, he's about to learn the ins and outs of it. As Hendrik goes into his room, giving a nod of acknowledgement to the guards stationed by his door along the way, he thanks the goddess for blessing him with such luck.

A flick of a match lights a small, warm fire. Hendrik holds the match to a candle and lights it, then shakes the match and discards it in favor of taking out the packet. He doesn't even get halfway through the first page before he hears something knock against his window. Hendrik furrows his brows and brings the candle to the window.

The jester from Gondolia, Sylvia, smiles and waves at Hendrik. Then, she points to the bottom of the window and makes an upward motion with her palm.


	28. Beginnings of a Plan

Hendrik slowly reaches towards the window. When nothing stops him, Hendrik takes that as permission to slip his hands through the bars and unlock the window, pushing it open.

"Hi." Sylvia puts her foot on the space no longer occupied by the window. "I'm here to rescue you."

"Truly?" Hendrik whispers.

"Yep." Sylvia fiddles with the bars and frowns. "Can you move these?"

"I am afraid not."

"Is it bolted down?"

"Yes."

Sylvia frowns. "Dang it. I didn't think to bring any tools."

"How did you even find me?" Hendrik asks. "I never told you where my room was."

"Lucky guess." Sylvia smiles. "Are you locked in here?"

"Not at the moment, but-" Hendrik turns to look at the door, only for the magical lock to light up. "…Nevermind."

"Hm…" Sylvia thinks for a moment. "Do they let you out?"

"Yes, but only during the daytime. Or what was daytime before…" Hendrik thickly swallows.

"Can you go outside on your own?"

"Yes."

Sylvia smiles a little. "Oh, that makes things a LOT easier. Listen, I can see you during those times and bring you whatever you need to escape. When we're ready, I'll break you out."

"How exactly do you plan to do this?"

"I… didn't think of a plan." Sylvia blushes as she admits. "I was hoping I could just grab you and get you out of here. But we can work on it! We can-"

"Sh!" Hendrik has never been so fast to shush someone. "There are guards outside the door."

They carefully listen for a few moments before Sylvia speaks again. "Do you have any tools?"

"I only have a knife your friend gave to me."

"That's better than nothing, darling. What about a little plan?"

"I was considering scaling the wall adjacent to the gardens." Hendrik says. "The gardens seem to be less guarded."

"Ok, I'll meet you there in three days. What time works for you?"

Hendrik mentally goes through his planned schedule for tomorrow. "Ten o'clock."

\-----

Hendrik opens his mouth and allows Jasper to bring the fork to his mouth. Hendrik bites down on the omelette, then Jasper slides the fork out.

"You seem to be in a good mood this morning." Jasper mentions as he cuts another piece of omelette.

"Yeah, it's weird." Malachite stirs his porridge. "Usually, the human doesn't smile at all."

Hendrik frowns and turns to Malachite. "If you were to talk about me, I would insist that you not speak of me as though I am not in the room."

"Behave, you two." Jasper reminds them without looking up from Hendrik's food.

Malachite huffs and crosses his arms. "I didn't even do anything…"

"So, Hendrik, is there a reason for your good mood today?" Jasper stabs the piece he just cut out.

"Yes." Hendrik frowns at the forced answer.

"O ho ho, let me guess: you read a good book." Jasper feeds the piece of omelette to Hendrik.

Hendrik says something incomprehensible through the food.

"Geez, even I have better table manners…" Malachite mutters under his breath.

Hendrik levels a glare at Malachite.

Malachite scoffs. "You have egg on your lip." He eats the last of his porridge, then gets up. "I'm gonna make sure I'm ready."

Hendrik quickly chews and swallows. "Ready for what exactly?"

"Another scouting mission. I have to leave in about half an hour if I want to be on time." Malachite adjusts his scarf until it's in his preferred position.

"Ensure you do not forget your soap. We do not want a repeat of the zeugl incident." Jasper smirks.

"You'll never let me live that down, will you?"

"No." Jasper stands and gives Malachite a hug. "Now stop bothering us old men."

"Bye." Malachite breaks the hug and walks out.

Jasper waits until Malachite closes the door behind him before sitting back down. "Is the food to your liking?"

"Yes." Hendrik wipes the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "I have been curious about a certain matter." At Jasper's silence, Hendrik continues. "When you were in your… alternate form, you did not seem to be yourself."

"That is because I was not." Jasper explains, pouring a glass of apple juice. "Normally, when I enter my beastial form, I have control over my faculties. However, every so often it emerges, regardless of whether or not I wish it to. At those times, my inner beast is the one in control. Here, drink this." Jasper holds the glass to Hendrik's lips. Hendrik takes a few sips before Jasper pulls the glass away. "As I was saying, my beast does not remember many of my memories, and it is the same the other way around. I was honestly not certain how the beast would react to you."

"So… you cannot explain its behavior?"

"I can, to some extent. I know the beast often thinks with his nose."

That explains why Jasper - or his beast? - was sniffing Hendrik a lot. "So why did… he… take me to your bed?"

Jasper immediately blushes all over. "I have no idea. He must have been seeking out your body heat."

"I see." Hendrik nods, then stands up. "Well, I am full now. May I leave?"

"But you have not finished your omelette."

"I am full."

"Surely, you can have a few bites before you leave?"

Hendrik sighs. He grabs what's left of his omelette and shoves it into his mouth, then wipes his hand off on his jacket. He swallows before fully chewing, resulting in a painful drag down his throat. "May I leave now?"

Jasper sighs. "Very well. If you are in that much of a hurry, then you may go."

Hendrik immediately leaves the room and goes to the gardens, trying to keep his stride casual as he goes. Luckily, no one notices Hendrik's slightly sped-up pace, or if they do, they do not care enough to think it suspicious. Either way, it allows Hendrik to reach his destination unimpeded. Once he enters the gardens, he sits on a bench and waits. And sure enough, Sylvia jumps off the walls into the gardens with a smile and a long coil of rope.


	29. Attempt

Hendrik smiles back as he stands up and approaches Sylvia. Sylvia glances above her and points to a low wall, about twice as tall as Hendrik, perhaps a little higher. She points to it, and they both walk to it.

"I've taken a look at the layout." Sylvia whispers. "If we follow a certain path, we should be able to sneak out unnoticed."

"In what direction will we go?" Hendrik asks.

"North, then west. When we leave the castle, we'll head through the Manglegrove and reach the Last Bastion." Sylvia drops into a crouch. "Here, I'll boost you up."

Hendrik steps forward and allows Sylvia to assist him up. He just manages to reach the top and pull himself up the rest of the way. Then, he reaches down and pulls Sylvia up. They walk along the wall and reach an even taller wall, which has a rope dangling from it already. Hendrik starts climbing up the rope, closely followed by Sylvia.

"Are you certain this will work?" Hendrik quietly grunts.

"Yes. Now stay quiet."

Hendrik doesn't say any more on the matter. Once he reaches the top, he clambers onto the stone wall and watches as Sylvia does the same. Sylvia gathers up the rope, then drops into a crouch and guides Hendrik further along this wall, sticking to the shadows. No reason to be careless, after all.

Sylvia abruptly grabs Hendrik by the lapels and yanks him behind the wall of a guard tower. Then, she presses a finger to Hendrik's lips. Hendrik forces himself to slow his breathing and stay still.

"…believe he's sending Malachite out again. I mean, all that brat does is cry and run to his daddy!"

A laugh. "I know he can fight, but sheesh. It seems like Sir Jasper will let anyone join the military."

Sounds like the voices are coming from within the tower. Hendrik presses himself closer to Sylvia, backing her further against the wall. Her breath ghosts over his neck, sending shivers down Hendrik's spine. The voices come closer.

"Seriously, what does Sir Jasper see in him? He's nothing but a violent crybaby."

"To be fair, if I had a face like his, I'd cry too."

More laughter. The door swings open, thankfully towards Hendrik and Sylvia. The two guards holding the conversation walk past, unaware of the two humans they need to spot. As they continue to poke fun at Malachite's appearance, Sylvia takes advantage of their distracted state to push Hendrik away and guide him inside the guard tower. Hendrik quickly shuts the door behind them before following Sylvia to the door on the opposite side.

"Watch my back." Sylvia whispers as she presses her ear to the door.

Hendrik turns around and keeps an eye out for any guards. Every second that passes stretches out an agonizingly long time, making Hendrik's pores sweat and his nerves jump. Even the subtle flickers of the candle makes his heart lurch.

"It's clear!" Sylvia suddenly whispers, making Hendrik jolt. She opens the door. "Let's go!"

Sylvia and Hendrik sneak out and continue, keeping their heads low. Hendrik glances over his shoulder from time to time, creeping paranoia starting to overwhelm his rational state. His gloves start to grow damp from sweat.

"You said we would escape-"

"Sh!" Sylvia cuts Hendrik off right then and there.

Hendrik doesn't try to say anything else. He simply keeps his mouth shut and follows Sylvia down the path she created for them. Whenever they encounter a guard on patrol, they duck behind the closest hiding spot and hold their breaths until the threat passes, then they continue onward.

Hendrik happens to glance over to his right, over to one of the castle's porches. Then, he immediately pulls Sylvia as low as they can go. Sylvia furrows her brows, but doesn't move. Hendrik peeks over the stone railing. Jasper is standing on the porch, back turned to Hendrik as he presumably speaks to one of the lower-ranking commanders, who is currently searching through their bag.

Sylvia peeks as well before they both duck down again. Sylvia holds her hand straight out, palm down, and drags the fingertips of her other hand up the extended hand to above the wrist, keeping her fingers separate. Hendrik nods, and they start crawling along the stone, careful not to scrape against it.

Hendrik keeps his eyes off of Sylvia's rear as he strains his ears for any guards. As far as he can tell, there's none nearby, but Hendrik doesn't trust his surroundings. He doesn't stand until they reach yet another guard tower and step inside.

"Okay," Sylvia takes a deep breath. "Change of plans. We're going to find a spot to put the rope and climb down."

"Is it because of Jasper?" Hendrik asks.

"Yes. It's too risky to keep going." Sylvia confirms as she gets the ropes out. "We just have to take our chances here."

Hendrik looks around. "Perhaps we could climb out of the window."

"It's too small. We won't fit."

"Then I suggest climbing onto the roof. There is a ladder we can pull down."

Sylvia frowns as she thinks for a moment. "There might be someone up there…"

"If the soldiers are anything like Heliodor's, they will go up and leave the ladder down out of convenience." Hendrik explains as he starts getting the ladder down. He climbs up and, lo and behold, there's no guards. He gestures for Sylvia to come up, then steps onto the roof in a crouch.

The stone railings around the roof are low, and Jasper could easily see them if they stood up. That's why Hendrik is careful to pull Sylvia up so that she doesn't get too high up going onto the roof. Then, he points to the side facing away from the castle. Sylvia nods and brings the rope to that side.

"Do we have enough rope?" Hendrik asks.

"I'm not sure. I only brought two coils. And both of them were for smaller heights." Sylvia furrows her brows as she starts tying one of the ropes to a flagpole, only raising her hands in order to do so. Once she's done, she throws the rest over the ledge. She starts rising, but Hendrik uses his hand to force her shoulder down.

"Allow me to check." Hendrik only stands as tall as strictly necessary to see over the ledge. Then, he immediately frowns. The rope isn't long enough for them to even jump off safely. "Sylvia, we need to tie-"

"Hendrik?!"

Hendrik jumps and whips around. He can clearly see Jasper leaning on the porch rails and looking straight at him.

"The hell are you doing?!" Jasper shouts.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit. Saying something could endanger Sylvia. But the curse is already forcing out an "I was…" out of him. What could he do?! He doesn't even have the option of lying!

…Wait a minute. Maybe Hendrik doesn't have to.

"Walking." Hendrik finishes his sentence with.

"You were walking?" Jasper questions.

"Yes." Hendrik walks in Jasper's direction, hoping and praying that it occupies enough of Jasper's and his subordinate's attention that they don't think to look behind Hendrik. "Am I not allowed to walk along the premises?"

"Not up there! Now get down from there! Now!"

Before Hendrik realizes it, he's jumped off the guard tower. He lets out a scream as the ground rapidly comes up to meet his mortal body. A flap of wings ring out, and suddenly Hendrik is enveloped in a strong, cool embrace. The wind rushes past Hendrik as he spins around and flips upside down before slowing to a stop. Hendrik's screams die down as he's gently set down.

"Are you alright?" Jasper softly growls out, form having changed to a more beastial version.

Hendrik takes a few gulps of air. "Yes."

Jasper lets out a sigh and smooths out Hendrik's hair. "What the hell…" He shakes his head at his own rhetorical question. Then, without looking, he points to the guard tower, incidentally pointing to Sylvia, who is peeking over the edge. "Never. Go onto the curtain wall. Again."


	30. Worry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! sorry i havent updated in a month. school started, and it stressed me out like you wouldnt believe (who knew online classes could give you ten heart attacks in two weeks?). but dont worry, im getting it under controk. ill probably start updating again. tsatu and bos havent been abandoned yet!
> 
> as for some lighter news, my birthdays coming up! im looking forward to it, esp since the stress started getting to me

Hendrik is all but dragged through the castle by his ear. Jasper keeps Hendrik's earlobe pinched between his thumb and index finger, carefully keeping his claws from scratching Hendrik.

"You. Are the STUPIDEST! Person I have ever met!" Jasper snarles. "What the hell were you thinking?!" Without waiting for an answer, Jasper slams the door to Hendrik's bedroom open and forces him inside. "Stay here until I come to get you."

"Jasper-" Hendrik tries to stop Jasper, but he shuts the door on Hendrik and activates the magical lock on it.

Shit. Worry gnaws at Hendrik's mind as he sits on his bed. What could he do from here? If Jasper decides to investigate the bailey wall, that could spell the end for Sylvia. He wills himself to think, even though the worry inhibits his higher thought. Perhaps… he could try opening the window and creating a distraction? No, it's nowhere near where he and Sylvia were. Still, he is at a loss for ideas. So he pries open the window and searches along the castle walls. He does not see any sign of Sylvia or unusual activity from the guards… yet. But Hendrik is aware that it may only be a matter of time.

In the meantime, Hendrik grabs everything he could throw and places it by the window. He keeps his knife tucked under his clothes as a last resort. Then, he waits with baited breath.

A few guards walk along the wall. Then a few more. Hendrik bends down and grabs the first thing he touches, an inkwell.

The door opens. Hendrik swings around and hides the inkwell behind his back. Jasper is standing in the doorway, now in his humanoid form and fully clothed, holding the doorknob open as he glances at the items at Hendrik's feet. A bead of sweat forms on Hendrik's forehead.

"Come with me." Jasper orders after a beat.

Hendrik has no choice but to comply. He shoves the inkwell into his pocket as he forces himself to keep his gaze from wandering to the window. Jasper closes the door behind him and walks off with Hendrik in tow.

"Where are we going?" For once, Hendrik is grateful for the difficulties he has in manipulating his tone. It allows him to speak clearly and maintain the appearance of being calm.

"We are going to the dining room, where we shall eat together." Jasper doesn't even look at Hendrik.

Hendrik gulps. His heart pounds the whole journey and doesn't slow down when he and Jasper sit next to one another. Jasper makes a hand gesture, and moments later, a servant leaves a plate of stuffed mushrooms in front of them before leaving.

"Go on." Jasper gestures to the mushrooms. "Eat as much as you want."

Hendrik grabs a mushroom and holds it near his face, but he cannot bring himself to bite it. Anxiety makes his insides churn and ache.

Jasper sighs and adjusts his bangs. "You know, I had to cancel an important meeting for you."

"Oh…" Now guilt is settling within Hendrik's heart. He puts the mushroom down and stares at the platter before him.

"I did not mean to imply it was your fault. If anything, it is on me."

Hendrik blinks and looks at Jasper.

"Had I been more careful, you would not have jumped." Jasper confesses, keeping his head bowed. "Had I not caught you in time…" Jasper clears his throat. "Are you going to eat?"

"No." Hendrik shakes his head.

"Hm, I suppose you would not have an appetite after what happened." Jasper frowns a little. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No!"

"Are you certain?" Jasper tilts his head. "It would do you no good to keep it bottled up. I taught that to Malachite."

"I am certain." Hendrik insists.

Jasper sighs. "Very well. I shall not force the matter." He brings his hands together and mumbles. A ball of light forms between his hands before forming into… a blanket? Jasper drapes it over Hendrik's shoulders. "There. That will make you feel better."

Hendrik brings the blanket to wrap tighter around his body. "You are not angry?"

"I still am." Jasper admits. "But this… this is more important. Your life is more important."

Hendrik can't help a small smile. "Do you truly believe that?"

"Of course I do."

Hendrik takes in the way Jasper is looking at him, how his face has lost its usual bitterness to reveal something… soft. Tender, even to Hendrik. It's the same way Jasper used to look at him when they saw one another. Goddess, Hendrik missed this. What had changed to make Jasper stop looking at Hendrik with this much love?

A foot soldier steps inside the room, making both Hendrik and Jasper jump. "Sir! We have finished our search. We didn't find anything."

Holy shit. They didn't find anything. That must mean Sylvia avoided detection! Hendrik has to pinch himself to keep from jumping for joy.

"Thank you. Dismissed." Jasper waves the soldier off.

Hendrik watches the soldier leave, then turns back to Jasper. That soft expression he held is gone, replaced with his neutral expression. It hurts Hendrik's heart, though he does not know why. He grabs a mushroom again and rotates it in his hand. After a moment, he takes a bite. It does not help.

"There you go." Jasper smiles at Hendrik. "I was beginning to think you would never eat."

Hendrik doesn't say anything in response. He just finishes the mushroom, then stands up. "I am going to go back to my bedroom."

"I shall accompany you." Jasper stands as well.

"I do not need to be escorted."

"I will." Jasper presses. "After all, the last thing we need is you jumping off something again."

Hendrik huffs and throws the illusory blanket back at Jasper. He stomps off, knowing fully well Jasper is following him. He sustains that anger all the way back to his room, where he collapses on the bed. Moments later, Jasper steps back into Hendrik's line of view.

"Why are you in here?" Hendrik asks, yanking his real blanket up to cover his body.

"I simply wanted to ensure you were alright." Jasper shuts the door and sits with Hendrik.

"I am." Hendrik turns away from Jasper.

Jasper sighs. "You do understand that I am doing this for your benefit, correct?"

"Yes." Hendrik grumbles.

"So do not be so cross with me." Jasper tells him. "It does not suit you."

Hendrik scowls before pulling the blanket up to his chin. "…Tell me, what was the meeting about?"

Jasper stays quiet for several moments. Hendrik had just closed his eyes when Jasper speaks. "It was about some new ways to turn Malachite into a monster." Jasper gets up and covers Hendrik with the illusory blanket once again. "Get some rest, dear."

Hendrik's eyes slip shut before Jasper even leaves the room.


	31. The Servant

Malachite is bent over a washbasin, dunking his reddened gloves in the water and pulling them back up and rubbing the red away. The counter next to him currently holds a black drawstring bag about the size of a bowling ball, and his scarf, stained with the same red as on his gloves. His platinum swords rest on the ground, shining with sword oil. As Malachite reaches for a towel, he spies Hendrik in the corner of his eye. He turns his head, revealing red splattered on his face, a ghastly contrast to his disfigurement and blue eye.

"What? Do you need to use the bathroom or something?" Malachite questions, narrowing his eyes at Hendrik.

Hendrik stares at the red spots all over Malachite, most visible on the lighter parts of his clothes. "What…" He glances at the freshly-cleaned swords at Malachite's feet. "What the hell did you do?"

"I was scouting." Malachite shrugs.

"But you are covered in…" Hendrik doesn't dare say what lies heavy on his tongue.

"I had to hunt." Malachite nonchalantly says. "It's just a part of camping."

"Malachite, you…" Hendrik gulps. "You are covered in far too much…"

"Oh, this?" Malachite points to a wet red stain on his arm and grins. "It's just ketchup. I got a bit carried away with my breakfast."

Hendrik stares at Malachite for what feels like an eternity. Eventually, Malachite sighs and flicks the tinted water off his gloves.

"Worry about your own problems, human." Malachite shoves Hendrik away before slamming the door on him.

Hendrik stumbles back, nearly tripping over his own feet. All he intended to do was wash his face after waking up, but Malachite was already cleaning off… Hendrik doesn't dare finish the thought. As he walks downstairs, abandoning his original task, all he can think about is what in the world had Malachite done, and to who. Even the guards tailing him don't bother Hendrik in the face of the evil Malachite almost certainly committed.

Jasper is already sitting at the dining table drumming his fingers against the wood table. As soon as he sees Hendrik, he sits up straight. "Good morning." He pulls out a chair next to him and points to it.

Hendrik hesitantly sits in the chair. "…Malachite is-"

"I know." Jasper interrupts Hendrik as he pours a pitcher of water. "I was informed earlier."

"He was covered in blood." Hendrik finishes.

Jasper pauses for a moment. "I see. It is not uncommon for him to return in such a state. After all, he regularly goes hunting to provide for us."

Just then, Malachite strolls in, dressed in a clean uniform with the black bag from earlier in his hands. He wears a face mask made of cotton as he approaches Jasper and extends the bag out to him. "It's done."

Jasper takes the bag and glances inside, then smirks and hands it back. "Wonderful job, my little darkspawn." He stands and hugs Malachite, with Malachite keeping the bag away from their bodies. After a while, Jasper lets go. "Put it with the others. When you return, we can eat."

"Ok!" Malachite goes off and leaves the room.

Hendrik watches Malachite leave, then turns to Jasper. "What was in the bag?"

"Merely some fruit I had asked him to retrieve." Jasper pushes the cup he had poured towards Hendrik. "I had a craving at the time."

"What of the meat you said he had hunted?"

"He likely deposited it as soon as he arrived." Jasper pours himself some water and takes a sip. "After all, meat tends to go bad at an extremely fast rate."

Hendrik frowns and leaves it at that. As soon as Malachite is seated across from them, Jasper summons the servants to deliver their meal. The servant arranging Hendrik's place setting silently drops a folded paper onto his lap, sealed shut with a sticker of a clown. When Hendrik looks up at them, they hold a single finger to their mouth before going back to what they were doing.

Hendrik puts the letter into a pocket as subtly as he can. Luckily, Malachite was too busy watching Jasper explain a new method of monster transformation via drawing onto a scrap of paper to notice. Shortly after, their meal comes in, stealing all of their attention.

Malachite grabs a sandwich and spreads some mustard on the inside of the bread before slapping the bread back on and eating it. "That plan sounds terrible."

Jasper sighs before grabbing a sandwich for himself. "It is not as though we have any other ideas. All other tries have had only slight successes at best."

Hendrik settles in and waits for a chance to read his letter in private. After they've all eaten, Jasper allows Hendrik to leave, and so Hendrik does, immediately making a beeline for his room. The whole trek, he feels the eyes of several guards boring into his back, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. Hendrik shudders and goes into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Then, he lights a candle and opens the letter.

It's… a love letter. Heat rises to Hendrik's face as he processes that fact. There's no indication as to who wrote it. Perhaps it was the servant that gave it to him? Hendrik rubs his cheeks and continues reading. The letter instructs him to stay in his room after eating and to wait for his admirer to come to him. Well… Hendrik would be lying if he said this didn't pique his interest. It's thrilling, even, knowing that someone fancies him. With that, Hendrik sits back and waits.

Shortly after, he hears someone speak to a guard outside his door, their voice soft enough that Hendrik has trouble picking up their words. Then, the door opens, and that same servant from earlier walks in, with slicked black hair. They smile at Hendrik as they close the door.

"Were you the one that-"

The servant presses a finger to their lips again. "I'm here to clean your room." Then, they bring their wrist out in front of them, and pull up their sleeve, revealing a medium bracelet with a jewel inlaid. They press the jewel, and their appearance melts away into… Sylvia's?!

All at once, Hendrik understands. "I see. Perhaps you could assist me in organizing my closet, first." Hendrik points to the side of the room furthest from the door.


End file.
